A 35-year-old male asked:
What is malaria?
8 doctor answers • 18 doctors weighed in
Dr. Maritza Baezanswered
Family Medicine 19 years experience
Infection: Malaria is a mosquito-spread infectious disease of humans & other animals caused by eukaryotic protists (a microorganism). The protists act as parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that usually include fever & headache, in severe cases progressing to coma or death. The disease is widespread in tropical & subtropical regions in a broad band around the equator.
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5.8k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Dr. Claude Parolaanswered
Internal Medicine 42 years experience
Mosquito-borne inf.: Mosquito-borne infectious disease cause by these organisms: plasmodium falciparum, plasmodium ovale, plasmodium vivax, plasmodium malariae; infection cause fever, bodyache, sweating, headache, anemia etc..., death can occur in severe infection.
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5.8k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Dr. Henry Selkeanswered
Internal Medicine - Infectious Disease 18 years experience
...: Malaria is a parasitic infection transmitted by mosquitoes. Symptoms include fever, chills, and a flu-like illness. If not treated, people can develop severe complications and die. Africa is impacted the most by malaria. About 1500 people in the us are diagnosed each year with malaria and these are typically returning travelers. Prevention with meds is best. See a travel doctor before a trip.
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5.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Dr. Marybeth Lambeanswered
Travel Medicine 47 years experience
Agree and...: The word comes from italian "mala aria" (bad air), from the belief the disease was caused by unhealthy air in swampy districts. Spread by mosquitoes, the parasite enter the bloodstream & infect red blood cells causing high fever, shaking chills, sweats, vomiting, muscle pain, headache, anemia. First symptoms occur 10 days to 4 weeks post infection, symptoms occur in cycles of 48 to 72 hours.
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5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Dr. Heidi Fowleranswered
Psychiatry 27 years experience
Malaria: Malaria is a protozoan parasitic infection spread by mosquitoes. Malaria is most common in tropical, sub-tropical & temperate areas in Africa, Asia, Central America, South America and Indo-Pacific. Malaria sx's
may include: headache, fever, shivering, sweating, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, dry cough, muscle/joint/back pain & enlarged spleen. There is a cyclic pattern of being very cold & shivering
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2.8k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
1 comment
Dr. Heidi Fowler commented
Psychiatry 27 years experience
Provided original answer
followed by feeling very hot and sweating. Additionally one can develop jaundice, blood in urine, anemia, eye problems (nystagmus, problems with eye movements), seizures & coma.
May 18, 2015
Dr. Marybeth Lambeanswered
Travel Medicine 47 years experience
Parasitic Disease: Carried by a mosquito flying from dusk to dawn, malaria is one-cell parasite called plasmodium. Malaria is transmitted from person-to-person through the bite of the female mosquito, who needs blood for her eggs. The parasite races to the liver then reemerges later. 50% of the world is at risk, & causes almost a half billion illnesses, w/ one million deaths yearly. It kills every 30 seconds.
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5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years agoMerged
Dr. Heidi Fowleranswered
Psychiatry 27 years experience
Agree w Dr. Lambe.: Malaria is a caused by a protozoal parasite. Malaria Symptoms may include: headache, fever, shivering, sweating, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, dry cough, muscle/joint/back pain & enlarged spleen. There is a cyclic pattern of being very cold & shivering followed by feeling very hot and sweating. Additionally one can develop jaundice, blood in urine, anemia, eye problems (nystagmus, problems with eye
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3.7k viewsReviewed >2 years agoMerged
Dr. Atul Singhanswered
Nephrology and Dialysis 30 years experience
Parasitc infection : It is a anopheles mosquito transmitted parasitic disease and there are 4 subtypes of the parasite with vivax and falciparum being the most common and falciparum being the major deadly of the lot. Present in large areas of the world endemically and sporadically almost anywhere in the world including a few cases in USA due to world travel. Many options to prevent and treat no vaccine. Bad disease !
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2.7k viewsReviewed >2 years agoMerged
Similar questions
A 47-year-old member asked:
What are some symptoms of malaria?
9 doctor answers • 15 doctors weighed in
Dr. Martin Raffanswered
Infectious Disease 58 years experience
Quickly: Often within hours after the mosquito injects plasmodia into you, fever and chills and diffuse muscle aches and malaise may develop, depending upon the species with which you are infected. Subsequently the initial random fevers and chills assume a regular pattern of every third or fourth day, you become anemic and may have mental changes (all species related).
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5.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 32-year-old male asked:
What is malaria cure?
2 doctor answers • 5 doctors weighed in
Dr. Henry Selkeanswered
Internal Medicine - Infectious Disease 18 years experience
Treatment options: Malaria treatment depends on the type of parasite (four types), the country/location, knowledge of the local drug-resistance, and how sick the person is from the infection. Drugs commonly used to treat malaria include artemether-lumefantrine, mefloquine, atovaquone-proguanil, chloroquine, quinine, quinidine, Doxycycline (used with quinine), Clindamycin (used with quinine). If concerned, see md.
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5.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A member asked:
How do i treat malaria?
3 doctor answers • 6 doctors weighed in
Dr. Charles Gordonanswered
Specializes in Adolescent Medicine
Several ways: There are several different parasites which cause malaria. Different parasites are susceptible to different categories of drugs. If the local doctors are not sure check the website of the CDCP for most up to date advice on treatment for all types of disease.
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781 viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Nigeria
A 23-year-old member asked:
Am having malaria all the time ?
2 doctor answers • 2 doctors weighed in
Dr. Gurmukh Singhanswered
Pathology 51 years experience
Need to examine: It is not feasible to provide a meaningful opinion without additional history, physical examination and may be some tests. It would be prudent to see your doctor.
Wish you good health!
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114 viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 40-year-old member asked:
Is malaria cureable?
2 doctor answers • 4 doctors weighed in
Dr. Marybeth Lambeanswered
Travel Medicine 47 years experience
Yes: If diagnosed correctly and treated with the right medications malaria is absolutely curable. Right drugs, right doses, right length of time. Treating for the various stages of parasites--all this must be taken into account but good care does that.
Please also note malaria is preventable for many in the first place.
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4.8k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Last updated Mar 16, 2021
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