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Malaria is an infectious disease caused by a malaria parasite.

You can get malaria in (sub)tropical areas of Africa, Asia and Central and South America.

If you are bitten by a mosquito carrying malaria, parasites can enter your body. Those mosquitoes bite in the evening and at night, between sunset and sunrise. The parasites multiply first in the liver and then in red blood cells. You cannot infect other people.

Malaria starts with fever, fatigue, headache and muscle pain. The fever is not always high and you do not always shiver. It can resemble flu. You may also have diarrhoea, vomiting, coughing or shortness of breath.

There are five forms of malaria:

• Falciparum malaria (malaria tropica), caused by Plasmodium falciparum, is the most dangerous. You can die within a few days. It is generally treatable if treatment starts in time.
• Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium ovale and Plasmodium malariae are less dangerous. Symptoms are similar, but death is rare.
• Plasmodium knowlesi mainly affects macaques, but is sometimes found in people. People can die from this form.

You can develop falciparum malaria up to about four weeks after infection. Most malaria tablets therefore need to be continued for at least four weeks after leaving a malaria area. Atovaquone/proguanil only needs to be continued for one week after leaving. If you become ill, tell the doctor you were recently abroad.

There is no effective malaria vaccine. Keep mosquitoes away. In higher-risk areas the advice is also to take tablets (chemoprophylaxis), or sometimes to take emergency treatment with you. Ask a travel clinic for advice.