Malaria

What is malaria Malaria is a potentially fatal blood disease caused by a parasite that is transmitted to human and animal hosts by the Anopheles mosquito.

What are the symptomps malaria When symptoms appear The time from the initial malaria infection until symptoms appear (incubation period) generally ranges from:1 9 to 14 days for Plasmodium (P.) falciparum. 12 to 18 days for P. vivax and P. ovale. 18 to 40 days for P. malariae. 11 to 12 days for P. knowlesi. Symptoms can appear in 7 days. Sometimes, the time between exposure and signs of illness may be as long as 8 to 10 months

What are the symptomps malaria

What are the symptomps malaria Variation in symptoms In regions where malaria is present, people who get infected many times may have the disease but have few or no symptoms.2 Also, how bad malaria symptoms are can vary depending on your general health, what kind of malaria parasite you have, and whether you still have your spleen.

What are the symptomps malaria In the early stages, malaria symptoms are sometimes similar to those of many other infections caused by bacteria, viruses, or parasites. Symptoms may include:

Prevention of malaria Prevention of malaria involves protecting yourself against mosquito bites and taking antimalarial medicines. But public health officials strongly recommend that young children and pregnant women avoid traveling to areas where malaria is common.

Who Is Affected by Malaria Infection The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that about 243 million people became seriously ill from malaria in 2008, and almost a million people died.1

Who Is Affected by Malaria Infection People traveling to Africa may have a higher risk of infection because they frequently stay outdoors and often camp in rural areas where mosquitoes are common. There may be no risk of malaria (even in malaria-infested areas such as Southeast Asia and South America) if travelers stay in urban or resort areas where there are fewer mosquitoes.

Who Is Affected by Malaria Infection In the United States 1,298 people developed malaria in 2008 (the most recent year for which statistics are available). Most of the people were infected with P. falciparum malaria

Treatment Overview Medicine can prevent malaria and is needed to treat the disease. Several things influence the choice of medicine, including: Whether the medicine is being used to prevent or to treat malaria. Your condition (such as your age or whether you are pregnant). How sick you are from malaria. Geographic location where you were exposed to malaria. Whether the malaria parasite may be resistant to certain medicines. Side effects of the medicine.

Treatment Overview If you have malaria, medicine choice is based on: The specific parasite causing the infection. How bad the infection is. Your condition (such as age, pregnancy, allergies, or health problems). Medicine resistance of the parasite found in the geographic area where you were infected.