Malaria

Malaria is an infectious disease caused by the presence in the human blood of the Plasmodium malariae.

The disease is known to exist all round the world but is chiefly found in tropical climates spreading here and there into temperate regions where it occurs in summer and autumn. The presence of swamps, pools are also important factors. It has long been noticed that gnats or as they called in the tropics mosquitoes seem to flourish together with malaria and several scientists endeavoured to establish a connection between the two.

There are three main kinds of malarial parasites to be distinguished; those causing the tertian, the quartan and the tropical forms of malaria respectively. The malarial parasite, Plasmodium malaria, passes one phase of its lifecycle in man (the asexual phase) and the other in the stomach and tissues of the mosquito (the sexual phase). After its development in the mosquito’s stomach the resulting offspring eventually find their way into the mosquito’s salivary glands. When the infected female mosquito bites a human being these parasites enter human red blood corpuscles.

The acute malarial attacks have in general three stages. These are the cold stage, the hot stage and the sweating stage.

The cold stage begins with a feeling of chilliness even in the hottest weather. This increases till the person has to betake him to bed and heap himself with clothes, face and nails being blue and the whole body shaken with shivering. Nevertheless the temperature is found to be considerably raised. This stage lasts an hour or less.

The hot stage comes on as the temperature of the body rises, beginning with hot flushes which lengthen till the body feels burning hot, the temperature rising to 40’ or 41’C. There are also headache, sickness, pains throughout the body and sometimes even delirium. This stage may last several hours.

The sweating stage comes on after the fever reaches its height, as the temperature begins to fall. Profuse perspiration breaks out, the person begins to feel better, and the headache and pains at the same time pass off. Finally after three or four hours the patient feels quite well though much weakened.

Having gone through the three stages of a malarial attack patients feel recovered until the onset of the next attack.

Severe vomiting and diarrhea may sometimes complicate the course of the disease. Duly administered treatment with quinine or other preparations as a rule soon interrupts the course of malarial attacks.

As it is generally known that “prevention is better than cure” drastic measures should be taken to sanitate localities, to reduce the number of mosquitoes, to detect carriers and to carry out the survey of the population.

POST – TEXT ASSIGNMENT

Exercise 9. Answer the following questions:

What is malaria caused by?

Where is the disease chiefly found?

Do gnats seem to flourish together with malaria?

What are the three main forms of malaria?

When do the parasites enter human red blood corpuscles?

What three stages have the acute malarial attacks?

What are the symptoms of the cold stage?

What is characterized by hot flushes?

When does the fever reach its height?

What complicates the disease?

What preventive measures should be taken?

Exercise 10. Translate into English the following word combinations. Make up 5 sentences with them:

установить связь между чем-либо, даже в самую жаркую погоду, отправляться в постель, надевать много одежды, трястись от дрожи, гореть от жары, боль по всему телу, чувствовать себя довольно хорошо, чувствовать себя выздоровевшим, своевременно назначенное лечение медицинскими препаратами, радикальная мера, проводить санитарную обработку территории, пик болезни.

Exercise 11. Is it true or false?

1. Malaria is a chronic disease.

2. There are many kinds of malarial parasites.

3. The disease is chiefly found in temperate climate.

4. Gnats seem to flourish together with malaria.

5. The acute malarial attacks have in general three stages.

6. The main complications of the disease are blindness and heart failure.

7. Having gone through the three stages of a malarial attack patients feel recovered until the onset of the next attack.

8. It is better to cure than to prevent the disease.

Exercise 12. Fill in the blanks with suitable prepositions. Translate the sentences.

1. All infectious diseases are similar … origin. 2. The findings of the intradermal tests proved to be … great diagnostic importance. 3. The patient’s sensitivity … penicillin should be studied before the treatment is begun. 4. Much progress has been achieved … treating bronchial asthma … the last few years. 5. The child was noted to be allergic … definite inhalant preparations. 6. … the most severe attacks … bronchial asthma hormonotherapy may be used. 7. Digoxin is suggested … patients … symptomatic heart failure due to systolic dysfunction.

Exercise 13. Write down the verbs using given suffixes. Translate the verbs.

ize: general, local, sterile, character, special.

en: thick, wide, deep, strength, weak.

Exercise 14. Make up a plan of the text.

Exercise 15. Give a summary of the text.

Дата добавления: 2014-12-26