The time between getting infected with the parasite and the first symptoms varies a lot. It might take only a week, or it might take as long as 18 months. But you will probably get symptoms within three months.

You should see a doctor if you get a feverish illness after traveling to a malaria area, especially if you were there less than three months ago.

The symptoms of malaria vary. They depend on what sort of malaria parasite is infecting you.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Pasvol V.
Malaria.
In: Cohen J, Powderly WG (editors). Infectious diseases. 2nd edition. Mosby, London, UK; 2004.

 

 

 

 

 

¹ But you will probably get a spiking fever. This means your temperature suddenly goes up for a few hours. Then it falls again for several hours. This may happen every few hours.

You may also have one or more of these symptoms:

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Jong EC, McMullen R.
The travel and tropical medicine manual.
Saunders, Philadelphia, U.S.A.; 2003.

 

 

 

 

 

²

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
World Health Organization.
International travel and health.
Available at http://www.who.int/ith/en/index.html (accessed on 17 December 2008).

 

 

 

 

 

³

If you don't get treatment, malaria can make you delirious. This means you get confused and overexcited. If you have the more severe types of malaria, you might have seizures or fall into a coma.

You are more likely to get malaria and have more serious symptoms if you are pregnant. You may have a

 

 

 

 

 

miscarriage
A miscarriage is when something happens during a pregnancy so that the fetus does not survive.

 

 

 

 

 

miscarriage.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Suh KN, Keystone JS.
Malaria prophylaxis in pregnancy and children.
Infectious Disease and Clinical Practice. 1996; 5: 541-546.

 

 

 

 

 

⁴ Doctors advise women who are pregnant not to travel to places where there is malaria.

Your doctor can diagnose malaria by putting a small drop of your blood onto a strip of test paper. The doctor will also send a sample of your blood to a laboratory to be examined under a microscope. If you have malaria, this will show what type it is.

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