I am a Survivor of malaria strain P.falciparum. First signs were typical cold and flu for a day then a good run for 4 days then a cyclic pattern of recurring symptoms over the next few days in 24hr cycles. Each recurrence was worse than the previous. The lead-in took about 7 to 8days. The symptoms eventually did not give any further relief days and the cycles melded into bad and worse days. Starting now at day 1, the symptoms worsened to lethargy, lack of concentration and shortness of breath along with normal flu aches and pains. A visit to the local medical centre for suspect flu on day 1, routine malaria tests were negative. I am feeling slightly better on day 2, but certainly not functional. I am back to the medical centre on day 3 and doctor was convinced by looking at me, that I had a strain of malaria. More routine tests returned another negative result so back to the lounge room floor. The next day now day 4, I could lay dead still for 4 to 6 hours and only move to go to the toilet. Returning to the floor, my heart rate was at about 160bpm and the energy exerted required a good 4 hour rest again. On day 5 and the third visit to the medical centre, the blood test came back positive and the strain was identified. The doctor sincerely concerned with the strain identified and the duration of my illness. I was medivac'd to Australia. Further medication was given on arrival. Full Recovery took 9 months, but damage was done. For 2 to 3 months I remained on the lounge room floor. During the 3rd and 4th month, I had to train my muscles to walk again at the local shopping centre. By the end of the 5th month I could walk one full length of a shopping centre. A further 4 months passed with daily walks before I was back to normal. By the 12th month I was struck by depression and then spent 3 months working out of it, but that's another story.

I contracted malaria after a beach holiday in Mozambique. The first sign was a flu-like ache in my joints, followed by a mild headache, then a fever, which broke some hours later in the night in a torrent of sweat! A severe headache and pain in my shoulders and lower back, along with horrible nausea took me to bed for an afternoon and a night, but I had already started treatment with a drug called Coartem 20/120 (artemether lumefantrine). After that second horrid night, the fevers and chills stopped, but the sweating occurred on and off in milder and milder form until the third day.