Australian Travel Advice


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Australian Travel Advice

Australian Travel Advice

Most cases of malaria occur in people who didn’t take malaria pills or who didn’t take them properly. Malaria deaths typically happen because the diagnosis is delayed or missed. Malaria is particularly dangerous in children and pregnant women.

What is Malaria?

Malaria, a potentially fatal disease, is caused by a group of parasites called Plasmodium spp., which are carried by a type of night-biting mosquito. When an infected female mosquito bites a person, malarial parasites get into the bloodstream and are carried to the liver where they multiply. It takes about one to three weeks before flu-like symptoms appear. Malaria can eventually destroy vital organs and become life threatening. Malaria also can be transmitted by transfusion of blood and other blood products, and by needle sharing among intravenous drug users.