Malaria

• Malaria is transmitted by the bite of a female anopheles mosquito.
• The mosquito bite occurs mainly between dusk and dawn.
• Malaria can also be transmitted through blood transfusion, or via sharing of contaminated needles.
• Bed nets are good against malaria as the major malarial vectors bite during the night.
• The behavior of the mosquitoes may differ. Some may prefer to rest indoors and feed indoors in the night. Some may prefer to rest and feed outdoors earlier in the day.
• Preventive therapy of malaria can be instituted during pregnancy in high risk areas.
• The malarial mosquito feeds every third day compared to the dengue mosquito, which feeds three times in a day.
• Unlike the malarial mosquito, the dengue mosquito bites during the day.
• Malarial fever presents with chills, especially during afternoon.
• Spraying of the indoor residential walls and ceiling is effective against mosquitos.
• DDT is widely used as indoor residential spraying.
• DDT should not be applied more than once or twice in a year on the walls.
• Mosquito contact with DDT surface would generally save from lethal exposure outside the house.
• Public must know that spray may require rearrangement of the furniture. Walls may become streaked with chemical treatment and residual odor from DDT.
• The other alternative is malathion spray.