| MALARIA |
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About the Disease
Malaria is a mosquito-borne disease that exists mainly outside the United States. Americans are not usually at risk for the disease unless they travel to areas where malaria is endemic. There are, however, a few cases of malaria in the U.S. every year that result from blood transfusions, are passed from a pregnant mother to her fetus, or are transmitted locally by mosquitoes.
More than 1,000 Americans who travel outside the U.S. to malaria-endemic areas — mostly sub-Saharan Africa and the Indian subcontinent — report getting the disease.
Any traveler who becomes ill with a fever or flu-like illness while traveling and up to one year after returning home should immediately see a doctor. You should tell the doctor that you have been traveling in a malaria-risk area.
Worldwide, between 300-500 million people get the disease and more than one million people die of it. Malaria kills an African child every 30 seconds. | | |
| AT A GLANCE |
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What it is: Malaria is a mosquito-borne disease that is occurs in more than 100 countries and territories throughout the world, including large areas of Central and South America, Haiti and the Dominican Republic, Africa, the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Oceania. More than 40% of the world's people are at risk. |
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Transmission: People usually get malaria from the bite of an infected Anopheles mosquito. |
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Symptoms: The symptoms are flu-like, and include fever, chills, sweating, headache, nausea, and vomiting. Malaria may also cause anemia or jaundice, which is a yellowing of the skin and eyes.
Symptoms of malaria normally begin to appear anywhere from 10 days to four weeks after being bitten by an infected mosquito, though it is possible for a person to feel sick anywhere from eight days up to one year later. |
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Prevention: Chloroquine and other antimalarial drugs are to be taken before and during travel to an area known to have malaria and for several weeks after returning. Use commonsense to prevent mosquito bites: wear DEET-containing mosquito repellents, sleep under bed nets and wear protective clothing. |
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Treatment: Chloroquine and other antimalarial drugs are commonly used. | |
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| CONTACT |
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Find out more
You can also contact your local health office, or call our Health Info Hotline at 1-866-HLTHY4U (1-866-458-4948).
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