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Overview
Malaria is a serious infection spread by mosquitoes. If it's not diagnosed and treated quickly, you can die from it.
Symptoms
Malaria can be hard to spot, but symptoms include:
- a high temperature, sweats and chills
- headaches and feeling confused
- feeling very tired and sleepy (especially in children)
- feeling and being sick, tummy pain and diarrhoea
- loss of appetite
- muscle pains
- yellow skin or whites of the eyes
- a sore throat, cough and difficulty breathing
These symptoms usually appear between 7 and 18 days after you've been bitten by an infected mosquito.
But sometimes you may not have symptoms for months after travel, and rarely years.
Causes
Malaria is caused by being bitten by an infected mosquito. It can take just 1 bite to get it.
The infection is very common in certain parts of the world.
It's found in tropical regions, including:
- large areas of Africa and Asia
- Central and South America
- Dominican Republic and Haiti
- parts of the Middle East
- some Pacific islands
Risk Factors
It's especially important to get advice before you travel if you're at higher risk of getting seriously ill from malaria.
This includes:
- if you're pregnant
- young children
- people aged over 65
- if you have a weak immune system
- if you have no spleen
You may be prescribed antimalarial medicine even if you're travelling to a low-risk area.
Treatment Options
Malaria is an emergency and needs to be treated quickly.
It's treated with antimalarial medicines.
Some people will stay in hospital to have specialist care and treatment.
Malaria can sometimes come back and will need to be treated again if this happens.
Prevention Tips
If you're travelling to an area where malaria is found, get advice from a doctor before you go.
How to avoid malaria:
- take any antimalarial medicine you're prescribed – you usually need to start taking it a few days or weeks before you go, until a few weeks after you get back
- use insect repellent on your skin – make sure it's 50% DEET-based
- sleep under mosquito nets treated with insecticide
- wear long-sleeved clothing and trousers to cover your arms and legs in the evening, when mosquitos are most active
When To See A Doctor
You should see a doctor urgently if:
- you have travelled to a country where malaria is found and have malaria symptoms
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