Malaria is diagnosed by looking for parasites in a drop of blood smeared on a slide under a microscope.
When I woke up in the middle of the night and proceeded to throw up every thirty minutes on the the minute, developing a high-grade fever and severe dehydration, it took no more than a finger prick and a look at the blood smear under a microscope to see the parasites in my blood. The diagnosis ranges from 1-5, 5 being the most severe and meaning that there were 5 parasites seen on the slide from a single drop of blood. Within 5 hours of showing symptoms, I had a blood smear, revealing level five. Immediately, I was given an IV to administer high dose anti-malaria drugs, anti-nausea, fever reducers and pain medicine. I was in good hands, and recovered fully in less than a week.
Once the parasite levels in the blood reach a high enough concentration, they are bound to spread to the brain. You want to do everything in your power to prevent the parasites from reaching the brain. Cerebral malaria is a very grave condition that is very hard to survive. About 600,000 cases of cerebral malaria are reported annually. Children are highly susceptible, and rates in sub-Saharan Africa are the highest. Patients who survive, though very rare, have increased rates of neurological disability. Often times, difficulty in getting to a hospital in time it is the difference complete curability and fatality with malaria. Rural residents of sub-Saharan Africa often live days from a hospital, as their only option is to travel on foot.
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| Parasites infecting the red blood cells (RBC) |
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Gametocytes seen after breaking out of the red blood cells (RBC)
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