Malaria

Malaria is a disease caused by a tiny parasite called Plasmodium. The parasite enters the human body when an infected female mosquito from the genus Anopheles bites. Common symptoms include fever, chills, headache, muscle pain, and fatigue. The disease is most prevalent in warm regions, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.

Malaria does not spread directly from person to person—it is not airborne or transmissible by touch. Transmission depends on the cycle between humans and mosquitoes. Prevention methods therefore focus on breaking this cycle: protecting against mosquito bites and treating infected people so the parasite cannot be passed to mosquitoes.

Cause and parasite types

Several Plasmodium species infect humans. Plasmodium falciparum is the most severe and causes the majority of deaths, particularly in Africa. Plasmodium vivax is prevalent in Asia and Latin America and can remain dormant in the liver for extended periods before reactivating. There are also P. malariae, P. ovale, and P. knowlesi, which spill over from animals.

Symptoms and complications

Symptoms appear weeks after infection. Fever often comes in cycles: chills, followed by high temperature, then sweating. Young children and pregnant women are most vulnerable. The severe falciparum type can cause dangerous anemia, cerebral malaria, low blood sugar, and kidney failure. Diagnosis is based on blood microscopy or rapid diagnostic tests (RDT).

Treatment

Current standard treatment is a two-drug combination based on artemisinin (ACT), combining two drugs so the parasite cannot develop resistance. Severe cases are treated with artesunate by injection. The vivax type requires extended treatment to eliminate the dormant parasite in the liver. Chloroquine, once widely used, has met resistance in many regions.

Prevention

Methods include bed nets impregnated with insecticide, indoor spraying of homes, and elimination of stagnant water where mosquitoes breed. Several vaccines against malaria have been developed and are given to children in high-transmission areas. People traveling to affected regions can also take preventive medication.