What does malaria feel like

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. Your health-care provider and you will decide on the best drug for you , if any, based on your travel plans, medical history, age, drug allergies, pregnancy status, and other factors. To allow enough time for some of the drugs to become effective and for a pharmacy to prepare any special doses of medicine especially doses for children and infants , you may need to visit your health-care provider weeks before travel.

Other malaria medicines only need to be started the day before travel and so last-minute travelers can still benefit from a visit to their health-care provider before traveling. The drugs used to prevent malaria have been shown to be safe and well-tolerated for long term use. Anyone who goes to a country where malaria transmission occurs should take precautions against contracting malaria.

During the time that you have spent in the United States, you have lost any malaria immunity that you might have had while living in your native country.

Without frequent exposure to malaria parasites, your immune system has lost its ability to fight malaria. Please consult with your health-care provider or a travel clinic about precautions to take against malaria preventive drugs and protection against mosquito bites and against other diseases. Buying medications abroad has its risks. The drugs could be of poor quality because of the way they are produced. The drugs could contain contaminants or they could be counterfeit drugs and therefore may not provide you the protection you need against malaria.

In addition, some medications that are sold overseas are not used anymore in the United States or were never sold here. These drugs may not be safe or their safety has never been evaluated.

It would be best to purchase all the medications that you need before you leave the United States. As a precaution, note the name of the medication s and the name of the manufacturer s. The parasite is transmitted to humans most commonly through mosquito bites. Because the parasites that cause malaria affect red blood cells, people can also catch malaria from exposure to infected blood, including:.

The greatest risk factor for developing malaria is to live in or to visit areas where the disease is common. These include the tropical and subtropical regions of:. The degree of risk depends on local malaria control, seasonal changes in malaria rates and the precautions you take to prevent mosquito bites. In many countries with high malaria rates, the problem is worsened by lack of access to preventive measures, medical care and information. Residents of a malaria region may be exposed to the disease enough to acquire a partial immunity, which can lessen the severity of malaria symptoms.

However, this partial immunity can disappear if you move to a place where you're no longer frequently exposed to the parasite.

Malaria can be fatal, particularly when caused by the plasmodium species common in Africa. Some varieties of the malaria parasite, which typically cause milder forms of the disease, can persist for years and cause relapses.

If you live in or are traveling to an area where malaria is common, take steps to avoid mosquito bites. Mosquitoes are most active between dusk and dawn. To protect yourself from mosquito bites, you should:.

If you'll be traveling to a location where malaria is common, talk to your doctor a few months ahead of time about whether you should take drugs before, during and after your trip to help protect you from malaria parasites. In general, the drugs taken to prevent malaria are the same drugs used to treat the disease. What drug you take depends on where and how long you are traveling and your own health.

Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version. Overview Malaria is a disease caused by a parasite. Request an Appointment at Mayo Clinic.

Generally feeling sick. When symptoms appear The time from the initial malaria infection until symptoms appear incubation period is usually 7 to 30 days. Previous Section Next Section. Condition Spotlight. Clinical Trials Clinical trials are research studies that evaluate a new medical approach, device, drug, or other treatment.

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