Antimalarials are used to both treat and prevent malaria. The erythrocytic stage of the illness is the focus of most antimalarial drugs. This is the stage of infection that leads to clinical sickness. Keep reading to learn more about antimalarials in Northampton.

What is malaria?

Malaria is a deadly disease. The Anopheles mosquito, which spreads the disease through bites, is the main carrier of the infection. The infected mosquito has a Plasmodium parasite. When you get bitten by the insect, the parasite enters your body.

Common symptoms of malaria?

Malaria symptoms often show up 10 days to 4 weeks after you contract the infection. Sometimes it takes a few months before symptoms show up. Malaria-causing parasites can enter the body and remain dormant for a very long time.

The following list contains typical malaria symptoms:

– Shaking chills that can vary from moderate to severe
– High fever
– Anaemia
– Bloody stools
– Profuse sweating
– Nausea
– Abdominal pain
– Convulsions
– Diarrhoea
– Muscle pain
– Vomiting
– Coma
– Headache

Can malaria be cured with antimalarials in Northampton?

Malaria can be fatal, especially if you have the P. falciparum parasite. You usually need to visit the hospital to treat the illness. Your doctor will prescribe a regimen of antimalarial medication depending on the type of parasite you have.

The prescribed medication may occasionally be unable to treat the sickness because of parasite drug resistance. If this occurs, your doctor may need to use additional medications or a different type of prescription entirely to treat the disease.

Furthermore, some malaria-causing parasites, like P. ovale and P. vivax, have liver stages that enable them to survive in your body for an extended period of time before becoming active and infecting you once more. You will receive extra treatment to prevent a future relapse if it is found that you have one of these parasites.

What’s the prognosis of malaria?

The long-term outlook for malaria patients who receive treatment is often positive. If malaria-related complications arise, the prognosis may not be as positive. It is possible for cerebral malaria to cause brain damage by enlarging the blood vessels in the brain.

Poor long-term prognoses are also possible in those with parasites that are drug-resistant. Malaria can also recur in this circumstance and as a result, there can be additional complications.

There is no malaria vaccine available. Consult your pharmacist or doctor if you live in or are travelling to an area where malaria is common. Antimalarials could be administered to help you avoid the illness.

These are the same prescription medications that are used to treat the disease, and they should be taken before, during, and after your trip.

What are the types of antimalarials in Northampton?

The four most common types of antimalarial currently used to treat malaria are antifolates, artemisinin derivatives, antimicrobials and quinoline-related compounds. There is presently no medication available that can stop the parasite life cycle at any point in its stages. In order to treat malaria, a variety of drugs are typically used at the same time. Treatment approaches are influenced by the degree of clinical manifestation, the anticipated Plasmodium species, and the geographical area of the infection.

Watch out for counterfeit antimalarial drugs that may have been purchased online or elsewhere. They might not have any active ingredients at all or they may contain dangerous components.

What countries have a high malaria risk?

Travellers to specific regions of Africa, South America, and Asia are particularly at risk. Malaria is prevalent in tropical areas like:

– Large parts of Africa and Asia
– Parts of the Middle East
– South and Central America
– Dominican Republic and Haiti
– Some Pacific islands

Malaria is not present in the UK and it cannot be spread from one person to another. Learn more here.

Can I get antimalarials in Northampton at the pharmacy?

The widely used antimalarial drug is now categorised as a pharmacy medicine by the UK government’s MHRA, an agency that regulates pharmaceuticals.  This means that you can now purchase it from a pharmacy without a prescription from your doctor.

How should antimalarials be taken?

You should begin taking antimalarial drugs before travelling to an area where malaria is a concern, as directed by your travel health specialist.

You should begin taking some medications a few days before your holiday, and other medications a week or more in advance. As a result, when you get to your destination, your body will already have enough antimalarial medication to start preventing infection.

You can contract malaria if the medication is not taken as directed and on a regular basis.

Visit Croyland Pharmacy today for antimalarials in Northampton or book your appointment to get your travel vaccines.

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This blog post was written on behalf of Croyland Pharmacy by Pharmacy Mentor.