Malaria treatment is done with antimalarial drugs that are free and provided by SUS. The treatment is intended to prevent the development of the parasite but the dose of the remedy depends on the severity of the disease, the parasite species and the age and weight of the patient.
Malaria is an infectious disease caused by the bite of the female Anopheles mosquito, which can contain 4 different species of parasites: Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium ovale, Plasmodium malariae and Plasmodium falciparum . The latter is the only one that can cause severe and complicated malaria.
When the treatment is done quickly, and correctly, malaria has a cure . However, when treatment is not instituted immediately, a person may develop severe and complicated malaria, especially if he or she has been bitten by the mosquito that transmits Plasmodium falciparum, and may have serious complications such as damage to the liver, kidneys and brain or even death.
Malaria Remedies
Malaria treatment can be done with antimalarial drugs that depend on the person's age, the severity of the symptoms and the type of parasite that caused malaria. Thus, the remedies indicated may be:
For malaria caused by Plasmodium vivax or Plasmodium ovale :
- Chloroquine for 3 days + Primaquine for 7 or 14 days
- In pregnant women and children under 6 months of age - Chloroquine for 3 days
For malaria caused by Plasmodium malariae :
- Chloroquine for 3 days
For malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum :
- Artemeter + Lumefantrine for 3 days + Primaquine in single dose or
- Artesunate + Mefloquine for 3 days + Primaquine in single dose or
- Quinine for 3 days + Doxycycline for 5 days + Primaquine on the 6th day
- In pregnant women in the first trimester and children under 6 months - Quinine + Clindamycin
- In pregnant women in the second and third trimesters - Artemeter + Lumefantrina or Artesunato + Mefloquina
Antimalarial medicines should be taken at one time during a meal and their dose varies according to the age and weight of the patient, so only the doctor or pediatrician can confirm the correct dose of the medicine for each person.
The patient should take the antimalarial drugs every day that the doctor prescribes, even if the symptoms begin to disappear before the date indicated by the doctor to avoid the aggravation of malaria.
Treatment of severe and complicated malaria
Treatment of severe and complicated malaria is usually performed in the hospital after confirming that the patient has been infected with Plasmodium falciparum and can be done as follows:
- Injection via the Artesunate vein for 8 days and Clindamycin for 7 days or
- Injections of Artemeter for 5 days and Clindamycin for 7 days or
- Injection into the vein of Quinine and Clindamycin for 7 days.
In the first trimester of gestation and in infants less than 6 months of age, only quinine and clindamycin treatment can be performed.
What to eat to recover faster
You should eat easily digestible foods like potatoes, carrots, rice and chicken and avoid all foods that are too salty, spicy or fatty. Thus, one should avoid foods like avocado, banana, açaí, fish like tuna, tambaqui, eggs, pork and beef.
Natural Remedies for Malaria
Some examples of natural remedies that may be useful to supplement the treatment indicated by the doctor are:
- Alfavaca tea;
- Garlic water;
- Boldo tea:
- Tea of breadfruit leaves;
- Soursop juice;
- Broomstick tea.
These are useful because they detoxify the liver or fight the symptoms of malaria. Here's how to use teas to relieve the symptoms of this disease.
Signs of improvement
The signs of improvement appear after the beginning of taking the medications indicated by the doctor. Thus, after a few hours the person feels better, the low fever and the headache diminishes, with an increase of the appetite.
Signs of worsening
Signs of worsening occur when treatment is not performed or when there is an error in the dose taken. Some signs may include fever, increased frequency of symptoms, chills, rigid abdomen, delirium and seizures.
If these symptoms are present, the person should be reassessed by the physician to adjust the treatment. In this case, the person may have to breathe with the help of appliances, for example.
Complications
Complications can arise when treatment is not performed and may include coma, severe anemia, kidney failure, heart problems. More complications can be seen in case of cerebral malaria, which is the most severe type of this disease.
