Malaria infection is a very serious problem for adults and children and especially for pregnant women. When a woman is expecting her baby, she pays a great attention to the condition. of her health If she gets infected with malaria at the beginning of the pregnancy, what should she do? Let’s see if it is dangerous for the fetus, what the symptoms and complications of malaria during the pregnancy can be, and what is the treatment of malaria in first trimester of pregnancy.
Malaria in Africa
Malaria is one the most life-threatening diseases in the world. The bites of infected Anopheles mosquito may result in not only a fever but death of the infected person as well if left untreated. These infected mosquitoes carry a dangerous Plasmodium parasite and once they bite you, then the infection gets into your bloodstream. Usually, malaria is widespread in hot areas of the world, such as tropical and subtropical climates. Therefore Nigeria is also among the countries that suffer from malaria.
You got bitten by a mosquito but you have no idea if you have malaria. Let’s look at what the symptoms of malaria are:
- The disease can typically be diagnosed on the 10th day.
- Sometimes the symptoms are not so obvious for up to 4 weeks or in some cases, even several months.
- The common symptoms, which you should know to identify malaria include profuse sweating, anemia, muscle pain, vomiting, high fever, abdominal pain, diarrhea, convulsions, headache, and nausea.
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Every pregnant woman should be very attentive to her health state. Once you suspect that something wrong with your body or you feel bad, you need to see the doctor. Your doctor will determine if you have malaria by performing some blood tests.
Treatment of malaria in the first trimester of pregnancy
If you have been infected, it is important to get treated. This is especially true in the case of a pregnant woman. If this happens during the first trimester, then there is no need to be worry. The most effective medicine for early stage treatment of malaria is one that contains artemisinin. This medicine is usually given as part of a special therapy, which is combined with different other medications. This mix of other medications helps to cure the disease while decreasing the risk of the parasites’ resistance to treatment.
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NOTE: There are also some non-medical ways to treat malaria, such as eating foods made with scent or bitter leaves but this has not been proven by any medical institution. Therefore, it is important to consult a professional before choosing to take herbal medicines.
The research on the treatment of malaria in the first trimester
Research on the treatment of malaria in the first trimester, and the recent studies have indicated that medications will not be toxic to the fetus. The study was carried out by Oxford University researchers in Thailand. The top specialists worked in the Shoklo Malaria Research Unit and found out that malaria treatment in first pregnancy trimester is safe.
The researchers looked through the medical records of pregnant women infected with malaria and discovered that malaria only increased the risk of miscarriage during the late phase of pregnancy, but not in the first trimester. Therefore, having malaria treatment during the first trimester is harmless.
“Our work has highlighted the particular risk factors with malaria infection during pregnancy. Particularly worrying is the risk of miscarriage even when the disease is asymptomatic. However, while the dangers of miscarriage are considerable, our study offers some good news – that the most common medicines reduce this risk significantly.”,- said Rose McGready, the study’s leader.
As you can see, the treatment of malaria during the first trimester is not very dangerous and cannot bring any harm to your baby or you. Although, make sure to be safe and stay healthy during the happiest time of your life.
READ ALSO: Benefits of scent leaf in pregnancy
Source: Zenithblog.com
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