Jennifer gets admitted to the hospital because she has a headache and feels tired. Upon several laboratory tests, she was diagnosed with malaria
Mosquitoes: the Ghanaian perspective.A story about malaria
Joana Ayettey
University of Cape Coast, Ghana.
University of Cape Coast, Ghana.
Abena: Jennifer!! You haven’t been to school for the past three days and I decided
to check up on you. What did the doctor say is wrong with you?
Jennifer: Hey
Abena! The doctor says I have malaria!!! I feel very weak!
Abena: I
feel sad to see you in this state. I think your sickness is a result of your
continuous exposure to sunlight and certain foods you consume”.
Jennifer is discharged from the hospitalAunty Joana visits the family.
The children are happy to see her, especially on the basis that their questions on malaria transmission will be answered.
Abena coincidentally enters the house and meets Francis, Jennifer and Aunty Joana
Abena coincidentally enters the house and meets Francis, Jennifer and Aunty Joana
Francis:
“Aunty Joana, can you tell us how a person gets malaria?”
Aunty Joana: People
get malaria when they are bitten by an infective female Anopheles mosquito.
Only Anopheles mosquitoes can transmit malaria and they must be infected
through a previous blood meal taken from an infected person”.
Abena: This
means Jennifer is infected with the malaria parasites. Do you think I can get
malaria when I play with Jennifer?
Aunty Joana: It
can only be transmitted through bites of infected mosquitoes
Jennifer: How
do I prevent this malaria from reoccurring?
Aunty Joana: You
have to sleep under insecticide treated nets. Also, keep your
surroundings clean and desilt choked gutters because mosquitoes mostly breed in
standing waters.
At the end of the conversation......the children are happy to be enlightened about the cause of malaria and some preventive measures for the spread of mosquito vectors.
References
Martens, P., & Hall, L. (2000). Malaria on the move: human population movement and malaria transmission. Emerging infectious diseases, 6(2), 103.
Meibalan, E., & Marti, M. (2017). Biology of malaria transmission. Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Medicine, 7(3), a025452.
Meibalan, E., & Marti, M. (2017). Biology of malaria transmission. Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Medicine, 7(3), a025452.
Scroll down to continue
Swipe to continue
Swipe to continue
Mosquitoes: the Ghanaian perspective.
Mosquitoes, the Ghanaian perspective.........
Jennifer is discharged from the hospital
At the end of the conversation......
