Malaria and Children
Malaria is a disease caused mainly by a parasite which is transmitted to humans by certain malaria carrying female anopheles mosquitos. These mozzies aren’t picky at all and will target everyone from the youngest to the eldest.
By Benno Stander
When it comes to children and malaria there are however some special considerations that has to be taken into account.
Prevention is the better than cure
The easiest way to prevent the possibility of contracting malaria is to stay clear of malaria areas. Especially with small children this is by far the best option. It is strongly recommended not to take children younger than one year into a malaria area since it is very difficult for medical practitioners to treat malaria cases in young children. This is due to the fact the most common treatment comes in the form of large pills that need to be taken orally. When a child can’t take the pills the only other option is coniine which has severe side effects and can be very traumatic for children. When however you do decide to go to a malaria area the following physical precaution is probably the most important:
Malaria mosquitos are mostly active after sunset. So it might be a good idea not to have children playing outside at night. Mosquito repellent and coils also work well to keep the mosquitos away but sometimes irritate children’s lungs and can cause coughing. Mosquito nets are also very effective, as is air conditioning and air flow. Also make sure there is no stagnant water around as even small puddles formed by a leaking tap can create breeding grounds for mosquitos.
All these precautions are safe for children but it is advised to test products that go on the skin to see if there are any allergic reactions. Some children have more sensitive skins so it is important to establish this well before your trip so you don’t find out when you are already in a malaria area.
Malaria prevention medication
There is new medication on the market that is less toxic than the commonly used Methliam and Lariam and goes by the name Malanil. It is administered according to a child’s weight and is taken two days in advance and up to seven days after a trip to a malaria area. It does not have all the negative side effects associated with some of the conventional medications.
Malaria areas in Mpumalanga and Limpopo
Doctors regularly treat malaria cases originating from the Underberg near Malalane, right along the Crocodile River up to the Mozambican border. At one stage there were many cases recorded from Hoedspruit to Palaborwa but this is largely dependent on the mosquito control programs that are undertaken by Public Health.
Malaria symptoms to look out for in children
Look out for any fever or flu like symptoms and diarrhoea. Symptoms are sometimes very vague and clinical signs don’t always correlate with the fever. Very often it’s difficult to establish the cause of the symptoms and most often the only clue could be found in any possible risks like recent visits to areas that could have malaria or visitors coming from such areas that might have brought mosquitos along with them. Mosquitos do sometimes travel with humans in cars, baggage or containers.
Good to know
• Taking malaria medication does not guarantee that you won’t get malaria so you should still keep an eye out for any symptoms.
• It is true that medication can mask malaria symptoms but this is not due reason not to take it. It just makes it important to test for malaria when the fever is highest. Otherwise you could get a false negative test result.
• Even though treatment and medication has come a long way in recent years, malaria should still be regarded as a dangerous disease.