Children under the age of 5 have under-developed immune system, making them most vulnerable to malaria.
Young children with weak immunity often cannot defend themselves against the disease. If not treated within 24 hours, malaria can progress to severe illness in children leading to severe outcomes.
Thankfully, Malaria is a completely preventable and treatable. Here is how you can protect your tiny ones from the severities of malaria.
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Keep a watch on symptoms
• In children, malaria comes with spikes of high-grade fever, usually more than 101°F.
• The high fever is commonly associated with chills.
• Other symptoms of malaria can include irritability and drowsiness, poor appetite, and trouble sleeping.
Sometimes, there may be a pattern of symptoms — chills, fever, sweating, which may repeat every two or three days, depending on which malaria parasite is causing the infection.
In case of any similar symptoms, reach out to the nearest doctor immediately to ensure timely diagnosis.
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Prevention is the best cure
• At home, install window screens, use insect repellents, and place mosquito netting over beds.
• Advise children to wear long pants, long sleeves, and thick and high socks to dissuade mosquitoes.
• Try light-coloured clothes for your children as mosquitoes find them less attractive.
• Use air-conditioning or a fan in the room to deter mosquitoes.
• Stagnant water is a big source for mosquitoes, so ensure there is none around your home.
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Protect the sweet dreams
Avoid sending children outdoors between dusk and dawn as transmitting mosquitoes usually feed at night. Mosquitoes often tend to hide in vacant spaces like below the bed, behind cupboards, in dark corners, etc. Hence use mosquito-killing bats in those spaces to ensure there are none in the room when your children go to bed.
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Care before birth
Malaria in pregnancy can be dangerous to the unborn baby. It can cause severe anaemia in a mother, or low birth weight, even cause harm to the unborn baby. In such cases, reach out to the nearest doctor for emergency medical help.
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Nutrition is important
Malnourished children tend to suffer more with severe malaria complications compared to healthy children. It is important to take care of adequate nutrition in your children by providing a nutritious and balanced diet during growing years.
With proper prevention method and careful treatment interventions malaria can be prevented in children. Let us ACT Together to make Africa a safe place for children.
Reference: World health organization
