About Malaria:

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
Information for The General Public
Malaria can be a severe, potentially fatal disease (especially when caused by Plasmodium falciparum) and treatment should be initiated as soon as possible.
In endemic areas, the World Health Organization recommends that treatment be started within 24 hours after the first symptoms appear. Treatment of patients with uncomplicated malaria can be conducted on an ambulatory basis (without hospitalization) but patients with severe malaria should be hospitalized if possible.
In areas where malaria is not endemic, all patients with malaria (uncomplicated or severe) should be kept under clinical observation if possible.
Patients who have severe P. falciparum malaria or who cannot take oral medications should be given the treatment by continuous intravenous infusion.
In some countries (but not the United States) some antimalarial drugs are found in suppository form.
Several antimalarial drugs are available for treatment by continuous intravenous infusion.
Most drugs used in treatment are active against the parasite forms in the blood (the form that causes disease) and include:
chloroquine
sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (Fansidar®)
mefloquine (Lariam®)
atovaquone-proguanil (Malarone®)
quinine
doxycycline
artemisin derivatives (not licensed for use in the United States, but often found overseas)
In addition, primaquine is active against the dormant parasite liver forms (hypnozoites) and prevents relapses. Primaquine should not be taken by pregnant women or by people who are deficient in G6PD (glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase). Patients should not take primaquine until a screening test has excluded G6PD deficiency.
How to treat a patient with malaria depends on:
The type (species) of the infecting parasite
The area where the infection was acquired and its drug-resistance status
The clinical status of the patient
Any accompanying illness or condition
Pregnancy
Drug allergies, or other medications taken by the patient.