Malaria is a serious disease caused by a parasite. Infected mosquitoes spread it. Malaria is a major cause of death worldwide, but it is almost wiped out in the United States. The disease is mostly a problem in developing countries with warm climates. If you travel to these countries, you are at risk. There are four different types of malaria caused by four related parasites. The most deadly type occurs in Africa south of the Sahara Desert.
Malaria symptoms include chills, flu-like symptoms, fever, vomiting, diarrhea and jaundice. The disease can be life-threatening. However, you can treat malaria with medicines. The type of medicine depends on which kind of malaria you have and where you were infected.
Malaria can be prevented. When traveling to malaria-prone regions
- See your doctor for medicines that protect you
- Wear insect repellent with DEET
- Cover up
- Sleep under mosquito netting
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Frequently Asked Questions about Malaria(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/malaria/faq.htm
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Malaria
(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/malaria/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/malariaspanish/htm/index.htm -
Understanding Malaria
(National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases) - http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/topics/Malaria/understandingMalaria/
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JAMA Patient Page: Malaria(American Medical Association) - http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/reprint/293/12/1542.pdf
Also available in Spanish http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/data/297/20/2310/DC1/1
- Malaria(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/malaria/DS00475/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
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Progress Made in Malaria Control, yet Burden Is Enormous(09/18/2008, World Health Organization) - http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2008/pr32/en/index.html
- First Quick Test for Malaria(Food and Drug Administration) - http://www.fda.gov/consumer/updates/malaria062707.html
- Malaria Diagnosis(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/malaria/diagnosis_treatment/diagnosis.htm
- Counterfeit and Substandard Antimalarial Drugs(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/malaria/travel/counterfeit_drugs.htm
- Malaria Treatment(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/malaria/diagnosis_treatment/treatment.htm
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How to Prevent Malaria(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/healthy/travel/384.printerview.html
Also available in Spanish http://familydoctor.org/online/famdoces/home/healthy/travel/384.printerview.html
- Methods of Mosquito Control(Environmental Protection Agency) - http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/health/mosquitoes/mosquito.htm
- Prescription Drugs for Malaria(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/contentMalariaDrugsPublic.aspx
- Malaria and Travelers(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/malaria/travel/
- Mosquito Bites(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/mosquito-bites/DS01075/METHOD=print&DSECTION=all
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Malaria(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/malaria/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/malariaspanish/htm/index.htm
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Play the Mosquito Game(Nobel Foundation) - Requires Flash Player - http://nobelprize.org/educational_games/medicine/malaria/
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Malaria(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Malaria%22
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If They Can’t Smell Us, They Can’t Bite Us(National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders) - http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/research/stories/archives/05/03_28_05.asp
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Malaria Research(National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases) - http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/topics/Malaria/research/
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Immunomodulatory therapy associated to anti-parasite drugs as a way to... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18690855&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Pre-departure and post-arrival management of P. falciparum malaria in refugees... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18689612&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Clinical practice. Malaria prevention in short-term travelers. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18687641&tool=MedlinePlus
- Malaria -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=(malaria[majr]+OR+antimalarials[majr])+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+(review[pt]+OR+guideline[pt]+OR+clinical+trial[pt]+OR+jsubsetk[text]+OR+patient+education+handout[pt])+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- Malaria Glossary(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/malaria/glossary.htm
- National Center for Zoonotic, Vector-borne, and Enteric Diseases, Division of Parasitic Diseases(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dpd/
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National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases - http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/
- World Health Organization - http://www.who.int/en/
- Malaria Facts(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/malaria/facts.htm
- Preventing Malaria in Infants and Children(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/contentMalariaKidsPublic.aspx
- Malaria: Prevention and Pregnant Women(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/contentMalariaPregnantPublic.aspx
- Parasitic Diseases - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/parasiticdiseases.html
- Traveler's Health - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/travelershealth.html
- Blood, Heart and Circulation - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/bloodheartandcirculation.html
- Infections - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/infections.html
The primary NIH organization for research on Malaria is the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases - http://www.niaid.nih.gov/