This factsheet is for people who have malaria, or who would like information about it.

Malaria is an infectious disease commonly found in tropical areas such as sub-Saharan Africa, Central and South America, the Indian subcontinent, South East Asia and the Pacific Islands (these are known as malarious regions). It's caused by a parasite called Plasmodium, which is passed to people through bites from mosquitoes carrying the parasite.

About malaria

There are two categories of malaria.

Malignant malaria (also known as falciparum malaria) causes symptoms within six months of infection and can be mild or severe. It's caused by one type of malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum.
Benign malaria is less severe but may have a dormant stage of up to a year and can cause relapses. This is mostly caused by one of the other three types of malaria parasite.
Around 1,500 people a year in the UK get infected with malaria when abroad.

Symptoms of malaria

The first symptoms of malaria are like having the flu. You may have:

 - A headache
 - Aching muscles
 - A tummy ache, diarrhoea and vomiting – especially in children
 - A lack of energy
 - Loss of appetite
 - A cough

A day or so later, you may get a fever. Some people have malaria attacks – these have three stages: shivering, hotness and sweating.

Symptoms can appear any time from a week to 14 days after you’re bitten by a mosquito carrying the malaria parasite. The time it takes your symptoms to appear (the incubation period) can vary depending on the type of parasite that the mosquito was carrying, whether or not you have partial immunity or if you have taken any anti-malaria tablets.

If a mosquito carrying the P. falciparum parasite bites you, symptoms usually appear within six months of the bite, and most commonly start within a month.

If a mosquito carrying the Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium ovale or Plasmodium malariae parasite bites you, symptoms appear typically within 12 to 18 days. However, the parasite can lay dormant in your liver and not become active causing symptoms until months later. These parasites may also cause your symptoms to return.

If you have an illness with a fever and have travelled to a region with malaria within the last year, visit your GP. You can still catch malaria even if you have taken antimalarial medicines correctly.

Diagnosis of malaria

Your GP will ask about your symptoms and examine you. He or she may also ask you about your medical history and which countries or regions you have visited within the last year, including any stopovers.

Malaria is a medical emergency. If your GP suspects that you have malaria, he or she may refer you to your local hospital to have a blood test to confirm if you have malaria parasites in your blood and what type of parasite you have been infected with. You will need to have at least three blood tests over one to three days as the levels of malaria parasite in your blood can vary. For example, if you have taken antimalarial medicines, the levels of parasite may be too low to detect. If you are still taking antimalarial medicines while being investigated, your doctor may ask you to stop these so that they don’t interfere with any blood tests you may have. Repeating blood tests can help to confirm if you have malaria.

If you’re diagnosed with malaria, your doctor will notify the public health authorities. It’s also important for you to let any travel companions know to ensure they get tested too. They may also be infected but not know as he or she may not develop any symptoms for some time.

Treatment of malaria

There are a number of medicines that can treat malaria but you must start your treatment as soon as possible. Certain medicines don't work for malaria from some parts of the world – your doctor will ask where you have been and take this into account.

Some malaria medicines are also used to help prevent the infection. But if you have taken a medicine to prevent malaria, you can't take the same one again to treat it. So it's important to tell your doctor about any antimalarial medicines you have taken – take the medicine packaging to your GP appointment if you can.

(Source: http://www.bupa.co.uk)