People who get malaria are typically very sick with high fevers, shaking chills, and flu-like illness. Four kinds of malaria parasites infect humans: Plasmodium falciparum, P. In addition, P. Although malaria can be a deadly disease, illness and death from malaria can usually be prevented. About 2, cases of malaria are diagnosed in the United States each year. The vast majority of cases in the United States are in travelers and immigrants returning from parts of the world where malaria transmission occurs, including sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
Globally, the World Health Organization estimates that in , million clinical cases of malaria occurred, and , people died of malaria, most of them children in Africa. Because malaria causes so much illness and death, the disease is a great drain on many national economies. Since many countries with malaria are already among the poorer nations, the disease maintains a vicious cycle of disease and poverty. Top of Page. Usually, people get malaria by being bitten by an infective female Anopheles mosquito.
Only Anopheles mosquitoes can transmit malaria and they must have been infected through a previous blood meal taken from an infected person. When a mosquito bites an infected person, a small amount of blood is taken in which contains microscopic malaria parasites. Because the malaria parasite is found in red blood cells of an infected person, malaria can also be transmitted through blood transfusion, organ transplant, or the shared use of needles or syringes contaminated with blood.
Malaria is not spread from person to person like a cold or the flu, and it cannot be sexually transmitted. You cannot get malaria from casual contact with malaria-infected people, such as sitting next to someone who has malaria. Anyone can get malaria. Most cases occur in people who live in countries with malaria transmission. People from countries with no malaria can become infected when they travel to countries with malaria or through a blood transfusion although this is very rare.
Also, an infected mother can transmit malaria to her infant before or during delivery. Plasmodium falciparum is the type of malaria that most often causes severe and life-threatening malaria; this parasite is very common in many countries in Africa south of the Sahara desert. People who are heavily exposed to the bites of mosquitoes infected with P. People who have little or no immunity to malaria, such as young children and pregnant women or travelers coming from areas with no malaria, are more likely to become very sick and die.
Poor people living in rural areas who lack access to health care are at greater risk for this disease. Symptoms of malaria include fever and flu-like illness, including shaking chills, headache, muscle aches, and tiredness. Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea may also occur. Malaria may cause anemia and jaundice yellow coloring of the skin and eyes because of the loss of red blood cells.
If not promptly treated, the infection can become severe and may cause kidney failure, seizures, mental confusion, coma, and death. For most people, symptoms begin 10 days to 4 weeks after infection, although a person may feel ill as early as 7 days or as late as 1 year later. Two kinds of malaria, P.
Most people, at the beginning of the disease, have fever, sweats, chills, headaches, malaise, muscles aches, nausea, and vomiting. Malaria can very rapidly become a severe and life-threatening disease.
The surest way for you and your health-care provider to know whether you have malaria is to have a diagnostic test where a drop of your blood is examined under the microscope for the presence of malaria parasites.
If you are sick and there is any suspicion of malaria for example, if you have recently traveled in a country where malaria transmission occurs , the test should be performed without delay.
CDC has a list of all the places in the world where malaria transmission occurs and the malaria drugs that are recommended for prevention in each place. Many effective antimalarial drugs are available. Treatment should be started as soon as the diagnosis has been confirmed. Antimalarial medication is used to both treat and prevent malaria. Which type of medication is used and the length of treatment will depend on:.
In some cases, you may be prescribed emergency standby treatment for malaria before you travel. This is usually if there's a risk of you becoming infected with malaria while travelling in a remote area with little or no access to medical care. Malaria is a serious illness that can get worse very quickly. It can be fatal if not treated promptly. The effects of malaria are usually more severe in pregnant women, babies, young children and the elderly.
Pregnant women in particular are usually advised not to travel to malaria risk areas. Page last reviewed: 22 August Next review due: 22 August A single mosquito bite is all it takes for someone to become infected. Symptoms of malaria It's important to be aware of the symptoms of malaria if you're travelling to areas where there's a high risk of the disease. Symptoms include: a high temperature of 38C or above feeling hot and shivery headaches vomiting muscle pains diarrhoea Symptoms usually appear between 7 and 18 days after becoming infected, but in some cases the symptoms may not appear for up to a year, or occasionally even longer.
Some cause a more severe type of malaria than others. In some places, early diagnosis can help treat and control malaria. However, some countries lack the resources to carry out effective screening.
Currently, no vaccine is available for use in the United States, although one vaccine has a license in Europe. In the early s, advances in treatment eliminated malaria from the U. However, between 1, and 2, cases still occur each year, mostly in those who have recently traveled to malaria-endemic areas.
Doctors divide malaria symptoms into two categories : Uncomplicated and severe malaria. A doctor would give this diagnosis when symptoms are present, but no symptoms occur that suggest severe infection or dysfunction of the vital organs.
As symptoms resemble those of flu , they may remain undiagnosed or misdiagnosed in areas where malaria is less common. In areas where malaria is common, many people recognize the symptoms as malaria and treat themselves without visiting a doctor. Those without symptoms may be treated for infection to reduce the risk of disease transmission in the surrounding population.
Artemisinin is derived from the plant Artemisia annua , better known as sweet wormwood. It rapidly reduces the concentration of Plasmodium parasites in the bloodstream. Practitioners often combine ACT with a partner drug. ACT aims to reduce the number of parasites within the first 3 days of infection, while the partner drugs eliminate the rest. Expanding access to ACT treatment worldwide has helped reduce the impact of malaria, but the disease is becoming increasingly resistant to the effects of ACT.
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Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Medically reviewed by Elaine K. Luo, M. What is malaria? What causes malaria?
What are the symptoms of malaria? How is malaria diagnosed? Life-threatening complications of malaria. How is malaria treated? Tips to prevent malaria. Read this next. The Top 10 Deadliest Diseases. Medically reviewed by Deborah Weatherspoon, Ph.
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