Malaria

Malaria is caused by being bitten by an infected mosquito. It can take just 1 bite to get it.

The infection is very common in certain parts of the world.

It's found in tropical regions, including:

• large areas of Africa and Asia
• Central and South America
• Dominican Republic and Haiti
• parts of the Middle East
• some Pacific islands

Malaria is not found in the UK.

You cannot usually catch malaria from another person. But rarely, it can be passed on by:

• a mother passing it to her unborn baby during pregnancy
• a needlestick injury, where a used needle accidentally punctures someone's skin

If you're travelling to an area where malaria is found, get advice from a GP, nurse, pharmacist or travel clinic before you go.

It's best to do this at least 4 to 6 weeks before you travel, but you can still get advice at the last minute if you need to.

You may be prescribed antimalarial tablets to reduce the risk of getting malaria and told how you can prevent mosquito bites.

• take any antimalarial medicine you're prescribed – you usually need to start taking it a few days or weeks before you go, until a few weeks after you get back

• use insect repellent on your skin – make sure it's 50% DEET-based

• sleep under mosquito nets treated with insecticide

• wear long-sleeved clothing and trousers to cover your arms and legs in the evening, when mosquitos are most active

Malaria can be hard to spot, but symptoms include:

• a high temperature, or feeling hot, cold or shivery
• sweating
• headaches and feeling confused
• feeling very tired and sleepy (especially in children)
• feeling and being sick, tummy pain and diarrhoea
• loss of appetite
• muscle pains
• yellow whites of the eyes or skin (jaundice), although this may be less noticeable on brown or black skin
• a sore throat, cough and difficulty breathing

These symptoms usually appear between 7 and 18 days after you've been bitten by an infected mosquito.

But sometimes you may not have symptoms for months after travel, and rarely years.

Malaria is an emergency and needs to be treated quickly.

It's treated with antimalarial medicines.

Some people may need to stay in hospital to have specialist care and treatment.

Malaria can sometimes come back and will need to be treated again if this happens.

Malaria is caused by being bitten by an infected mosquito. It's not found in the UK and you cannot usually catch it from another person.

You can prevent malaria by taking antimalarial medicine and trying to avoid being bitten by mosquitos, such as using insect repellent.

Malaria can be hard to spot, but the main symptoms are a high temperature, feeling hot, cold or shivery, and sweating.

Malaria is treated using antimalarial medicines. Some people may need to stay in hospital for specialist care and treatment.