Malaria
- Malaria Overview
- Malaria Causes
- Malaria Symptoms
- When to Seek Medical Care
- Exams and Tests
- Malaria Treatment
- Self-Care at Home
- Medications
- Learn more about medications like chloroquine (Aralen), mefloquine (Lariam), quinidine (Quinidex), and quinine (Quinerva) on RxList.com.
- Viewer Comments: Malaria - Symptoms and Signs Experienced
- Next Steps
- Follow-up
- Prevention
- Outlook
- Synonyms and Keywords
- Authors and Editors
Malaria Overview
Malaria is an infection of the blood that is carried from person to person by mosquitoes. The disease has been recognized for thousands of years and once was found almost everywhere except in the most northern areas of the world. Malaria has been wiped out in North America, Western Europe, and Russia. It remains a serious problem in much of the tropical and subtropical world, however.
Millions of people continue to be infected every year, and probably up to 1 million of them die. Although the United States is malaria-free, hundreds of cases a year are still reported here. Most of these are people who acquired the disease overseas.
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Malaria - Symptoms and Signs Experienced
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Malaria
Immunizations and Antibiotics for Overseas Travel »
General Information
Most immunizations are not required under International Health Requirements but are recommended. Anyone lacking certain region- or country-specific immunizations may be denied entry into or exit from a country. In addition, quarantine periods of 1 week or more may be enforced (for cholera, plague, yellow fever).
No vaccinations are required to enter the United States. Standard vaccinations in the United States include diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, measles, mumps, rubella, varicella (chickenpox), polio, hepatitis B, Haemophilus influenza type B, and pneumococcus. Additional vaccinations for travel include hepatitis A, Japanese B encephalitis, meningococcus, rabies, typhoid, and yellow fever.
All vaccination series can be started on the same day. The lead time for immunization depends on the types of vaccinations needed. Some vaccination courses can take up to 6 months (such as hepatitis B) to receive all of the required shots. In a...
Read the Immunizations and Antibiotics for Overseas Travel article »
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Malaria »
Malaria, which predominantly occurs in tropical areas, is a potentially life-threatening disease caused by infection with Plasmodium protozoa transmitted by an infective female Anopheles mosquito vector.
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