What Is Malaria?

Here's a stubborn myth worth clearing up first: you cannot catch malaria from another person the way you catch a cold. No cough, handshake, or shared meal passes it on. Malaria travels a very specific route — through the bite of an infected mosquito — and understanding that route explains almost everything else about the illness, from where it occurs to how it is prevented. The short video above, titled simply "Malaria," runs just under three minutes and introduces the disease the way clinicians describe it: a serious, sometimes life-threatening infection caused by a parasite, typically leaving people very sick with high fevers, shaking chills, and a flu-like illness.

Myth: any mosquito bite can give you malaria — Fact: only an infected one can

Malaria is caused by Plasmodium parasites. Certain mosquitoes carry those parasites and pass them into the bloodstream when they bite. From there, the parasites travel to the liver, mature, and then move into the red blood cells, where their cycles of multiplying and bursting out of cells drive the illness. A bite from an ordinary, uninfected mosquito — however itchy — cannot start that chain. That is also why malaria clusters in regions where the carrying mosquitoes thrive, and why travellers returning from those regions are asked about fever so promptly.

Myth: the fever is just flu — Fact: the pattern is a clue

Early malaria can genuinely resemble flu, which is part of what makes it easy to miss. The classic pattern, though, has a rhythm of its own: shaking chills, then a high fever, then drenching sweats as the temperature falls, with headache, muscle aches, and exhaustion in between. Those waves reflect the parasites emerging from red blood cells in cycles. Anyone who develops a fever during or after travel to a region where malaria occurs should treat it as urgent until malaria has been ruled out — this is one illness where "wait and see" is the wrong instinct, because it can worsen quickly. It sits in a different category from the slower chest infections covered in our guide to pneumonia, even when the first day feels similar.

How doctors confirm it

Because the symptoms overlap with so many other infections, malaria is confirmed with a blood test, not by symptoms alone. Traditionally a drop of blood is examined under a microscope — the scene in this article's photo — which can show the parasites inside red blood cells and help identify which type is present. Rapid test kits that detect parasite proteins in a small blood sample are also widely used. Knowing the type matters, because it shapes treatment and how closely someone needs to be watched. Our article on tuberculosis covers another infection where laboratory confirmation, rather than symptoms alone, is what settles the diagnosis.

Treatment and prevention, in plain terms

Malaria is treated with antimalarial medicines chosen by the treating team according to the parasite type, the severity of the illness, and where the infection was acquired — which is why self-treating a travel fever is a bad idea, and why severe cases belong in hospital. Prevention works on both ends of that mosquito route: reducing bites (nets over beds, repellents, covering clothing, and screened or air-conditioned rooms) and, for travellers to higher-risk areas, preventive medicines prescribed before the trip. The related video "Malaria and Sickle Cell Anemia" explores a fascinating side of the story — how an inherited red-blood-cell condition and malaria have shaped each other over generations.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can malaria spread from person to person?

Not through ordinary contact, coughing, or sharing food. It is passed through the bite of an infected mosquito; very rarely it has been transmitted through blood, which is why blood services screen for travel and infection risk.

What are the first signs of malaria?

Typically fever, shaking chills, sweating, headache, muscle aches, and profound tiredness, often coming in waves. After travel to a region where malaria occurs, any fever should be assessed promptly rather than waited out.

How is malaria diagnosed?

With a blood test — examination of a blood sample under a microscope and/or a rapid test that detects parasite proteins. Symptoms alone cannot confirm it, because they overlap with many other infections.

Is malaria curable?

Malaria can be treated effectively with antimalarial medicines, especially when started early. The choice of medicine depends on the parasite type and severity, so treatment should be directed by a clinician — severe malaria is a hospital emergency.

How can travellers reduce their risk?

Reduce mosquito bites with bed nets, repellent, covering clothing, and screened rooms, and ask a travel-health clinician well before departure whether preventive medicines are recommended for your destination.

MedicalVideos.com has published trusted medical videos since 2007. The site was founded by Dr. Mohamed Ibrahim, MD, PhD — physician-scientist.

Educational only — this article is general information about malaria, not medical advice and not a diagnosis. If you develop a fever during or after travel to a region where malaria occurs, seek medical care promptly and tell the clinician where you have travelled.