Malaria

Malaria is a <a href="/facts/Mosquito-borne_disease/UWFlERoJ">mosquito-borne infectious disease</a> that affects <a href="/facts/Vertebrate/tT54FSTT">vertebrates</a> and <a href="/facts/Anopheles/SoWzqURV">Anopheles</a> mosquitoes. Human malaria causes <a href="/facts/Signs_and_symptoms/BzP6MrTN">symptoms</a> that typically include <a href="/facts/Fever/waVxR2Ac">fever</a>, <a href="/facts/Fatigue_(medical)/C2oo4Hvg">fatigue</a>, <a href="/facts/Vomiting/R2vQkHqV">vomiting</a>, and <a href="/facts/Headache/mdmmC9DP">headaches</a>. In severe cases, it can cause <a href="/facts/Jaundice/TCyoLMJU">jaundice</a>, <a href="/facts/Epileptic_seizure/zuIrQyze">seizures</a>, <a href="/facts/Coma/N9oQ7g7R">coma</a>, or <a href="/facts/Death/VJmq29qm">death</a>. Symptoms usually begin 10 to 15 days after being bitten by an infected Anopheles <a href="/facts/Mosquito/u8hTMTfc">mosquito</a>. If not properly treated, people may have recurrences of the disease months later. In those who have recently survived an infection, reinfection usually causes milder symptoms. This partial <a href="/facts/Immunity_(medical)/vLPpzSNL">resistance</a> disappears over months to years if the person has no continuing exposure to malaria. The mosquitoes themselves are harmed by malaria, causing reduced lifespans in those infected by it.
Malaria is caused by <a href="/facts/Protozoa/JczTf25H">single-celled microorganisms</a> of the genus <a href="/facts/Plasmodium/Je91qK4F">Plasmodium</a>. It is spread exclusively through bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes. The mosquito bite introduces the <a href="/facts/Parasite/HWPcgky7">parasites</a> from the mosquito's <a href="/facts/Saliva/RUzb41Ct">saliva</a> into the blood. The parasites travel to the <a href="/facts/Liver/Rtp4Fk2b">liver</a>, where they mature and reproduce. Five species of Plasmodium commonly infect humans. The three species associated with more severe cases are <a href="/facts/Plasmodium_falciparum/V8xzgHh0">P. falciparum</a> (which is responsible for the vast majority of malaria deaths), <a href="/facts/Plasmodium_vivax/tB8TegSf">P. vivax</a>, and <a href="/facts/Plasmodium_knowlesi/ENoSWrB4">P. knowlesi</a> (a simian malaria that spills over into thousands of people a year). <a href="/facts/Plasmodium_ovale/KTqxkBCI">P. ovale</a> and <a href="/facts/Plasmodium_malariae/aIQzp6M2">P. malariae</a> generally cause a milder form of malaria. Malaria is typically diagnosed by the <a href="/facts/Histology/yrI90zlU">microscopic examination</a> of blood using <a href="/facts/Blood_film/ao2R0t11">blood films</a>, or with <a href="/facts/Malaria_antigen_detection_tests/fvjJ26K4">antigen-based</a> <a href="/facts/Rapid_diagnostic_test/F0449jNV">rapid diagnostic tests</a>. Methods that use the <a href="/facts/Polymerase_chain_reaction/G0jWzJy1">polymerase chain reaction</a> to detect the parasite's <a href="/facts/DNA/nB89Iauz">DNA</a> have been developed, but they are not widely used in areas where malaria is common, due to their cost and complexity.
The risk of disease can be reduced by preventing mosquito bites through the use of <a href="/facts/Mosquito_net/xQXQtv9W">mosquito nets</a> and <a href="/facts/Insect_repellent/a5wpJeTr">insect repellents</a> or with <a href="/facts/Mosquito_control/roQG9unJ">mosquito-control measures</a> such as spraying <a href="/facts/Insecticide/1xYL3MSD">insecticides</a> and draining <a href="/facts/Standing_water/1cbBED8V">standing water</a>. Several medications are available to <a href="/facts/Malaria_prophylaxis/NmfS7QgM">prevent malaria</a> for travellers in areas where the disease is common. Occasional doses of the combination medication <a href="/facts/Sulfadoxine%2fpyrimethamine/rNHqy1AA">sulfadoxine/pyrimethamine</a> are recommended in infants and after the first trimester of pregnancy in areas with high rates of malaria. As of 2023, two <a href="/facts/Malaria_vaccine/VFAbrCR7">malaria vaccines</a> have been endorsed by the <a href="/facts/World_Health_Organization/YNN3bgug">World Health Organization</a>. The recommended treatment for malaria is a <a href="/facts/Antimalarial_medication/8l4vNNNH">combination</a> of <a href="/facts/Antimalarial_medication/8l4vNNNH">antimalarial medications</a> that includes <a href="/facts/Artemisinin/3YG8MpEn">artemisinin</a>.[18] The second medication may be either <a href="/facts/Mefloquine/WPJVsvcm">mefloquine</a> (noting first its potential toxicity and the possibility of death), <a href="/facts/Lumefantrine/S4Jt2lER">lumefantrine</a>, or sulfadoxine/pyrimethamine. <a href="/facts/Quinine/YMB9QgzM">Quinine</a>, along with <a href="/facts/Doxycycline/A8DBTzNh">doxycycline</a>, may be used if artemisinin is not available. In areas where the disease is common, malaria should be confirmed if possible before treatment is started due to concerns of increasing <a href="/facts/Drug_resistance/cgLruXm6">drug resistance</a>. Resistance among the parasites has developed to several antimalarial medications; for example, <a href="/facts/Chloroquine/YU9bn818">chloroquine</a>-resistant P. falciparum has spread to most malaria-prone areas, and resistance to artemisinin has become a problem in some parts of <a href="/facts/Southeast_Asia/VafwT517">Southeast Asia</a>.
The disease is widespread in the <a href="/facts/Tropics/Iv1es8Ih">tropical</a> and <a href="/facts/Subtropical/gK0KyFUD">subtropical</a> regions that exist in a broad band around the <a href="/facts/Equator/CjaxbVaN">equator</a>. This includes much of <a href="/facts/Sub-Saharan_Africa/p4u389aa">sub-Saharan Africa</a>, <a href="/facts/Asia/4IToYrrQ">Asia</a>, and <a href="/facts/Latin_America/Qmx9Jx2a">Latin America</a>. In 2023, some 263 million cases of malaria worldwide resulted in an estimated 597,000 deaths. Around 95% of the cases and deaths occurred in sub-Saharan Africa. Rates of disease decreased from 2010 to 2014, but increased from 2015 to 2021.[18] According to UNICEF, nearly every minute, a child under five died of malaria in 2021, and "many of these deaths are preventable and treatable". Malaria is commonly associated with <a href="/facts/Poverty/hNLtrNmK">poverty</a> and has a significant negative effect on economic development. In <a href="/facts/Africa/XkqQUP9s">Africa</a>, it is estimated to result in losses of <a href="/facts/United_States_dollar/naEEDUhC">US$</a>12 billion a year due to increased healthcare costs, lost ability to work, and adverse effects on <a href="/facts/Tourism/x47vNhHj">tourism</a>. The malaria caseload in India decreased by 69% from 6.4 million cases in 2017 to two million cases in 2023. Similarly, the estimated malaria deaths decreased from 11,100 to 3,500 (a 68% decrease) in the same period.

Malaria open-in-new

Malaria