A bite from a parasite-infected mosquito causes malaria. There are five species of Plasmodium(P.

)
parasites that infect people.

Infection with P. falciparum

P. falciparum is found mostly in the tropics and subtropics (near the equator).
Infection with P. falciparum can lead to life-threatening complications after the first few days.
P. falciparum is often resistant to a popular antimalarial medicine (chloroquine) and needs treatment
with other medicines.

Infection with P. vivax, P. malariae, P. ovale, or P. knowlesi

P. vivax and P. malariae occur all over the tropical regions of the world. P. ovale is found in western
Africa, and P. knowlesi is found in Southeast Asia.
Infection with P. vivax, P. malariae, or P. ovale is usually not life-threatening, and a person may recover
in a month without treatment. But infection with P. knowlesi may be fatal.
P. vivax, P. malariae, P. ovale, and P. knowlesi are generally not as drug-resistant as P. falciparum.
P. vivaxP. ovale, and P. knowlesi may stay in the liver, requiring further treatment with medicine to
prevent relapses.

How the disease spreads

Malaria is spread camera when an infected Anopheles mosquito bites a person. This is the only type of
mosquito that can spread malaria. The mosquito becomes infected by biting an infected person and
drawing blood that contains the parasite. When that mosquito bites another person, that person
becomes infected.
In the United States, people who develop malaria almost always got infected while traveling in parts of
the world where malaria is common. For more information, see the topic Travel Health.

http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/malaria-cause
What is malaria?
Malaria is a serious disease that causes a high fever and chills. You can get it from a bite by an infected
mosquito. Malaria is rare in the United States. It is most often found in Africa, Southern Asia, Central
America, and South America.

What causes malaria?

Malaria is caused by a bite from a mosquito infected with parasites. In very rare cases, people can get
malaria if they come into contact with infected blood. A developing fetus may get the disease from its
mother. You cannot get malaria just by being near a person who has the disease.

What are the symptoms?

Most malaria infections cause symptoms like the flu, such as a high fever, chills, and muscle pain.
Symptoms tend to come and go in cycles. One type of malaria may cause more serious problems, such
as damage to the heart, lungs, kidneys, or brain. It can even be deadly.

How is malaria diagnosed?

Your doctor will order a blood test to check for the malaria parasite in your blood.

How is it treated?
Medicines usually can treat the illness. But some malaria parasites may survive because they are in your
liver or they are resistant to the medicine.
Call a doctor right away if you have been in an area where malaria is present, were exposed to
mosquitoes, and get symptoms that are like the flu. These include a high fever, chills, and muscle pain.

How is malaria prevented?

You may be able to prevent malaria by taking medicine before, during, and after travel to an area where
malaria is present. But using medicine to prevent malaria doesn't always work. This is partly due to the
parasites being resistant to some medicines in some parts of the world.

http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/malaria-topic-overview
http://www.nature.com/news/malaria-surge-feared-1.10643
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