Conditions and symptoms
What Is Malaria? Antimalarial Labels
Malaria · say it: muh-LAIR-ee-uhAlso written: plasmodium infection, malarial fever
Short answer
Malaria is a serious infection caused by Plasmodium parasites spread by mosquito bites; fever after travel to a malaria area needs urgent testing.
What it means
Malaria is an infection caused by Plasmodium parasites, spread by the bite of infected mosquitoes in many tropical and subtropical regions. It typically causes fever, chills, sweats, headache, muscle aches and tiredness. It can become severe quickly, especially with the falciparum species, so fever during or after travel to a malaria area needs urgent medical testing, even weeks or months later.
Malaria appears on antimalarial labels as an indication, either for prevention (prophylaxis) during travel or for treatment. Labels explain when to start and stop preventive tablets, often before, during and after the trip, and list side effects. Some other medicines mention malaria regions because of drug resistance patterns.
No preventive tablet is 100% effective, so mosquito bite avoidance (nets, repellent, covering up) is still advised. Malaria is diagnosed with a blood test, not by symptoms alone.
Where you may see it
- Antimalarial labels under 'Indications' and 'Dosage'
- Travel clinic advice and prescriptions
- Blood film or rapid test results
📄 How it looks on a report
Indicated for the prophylaxis of malaria in geographic areas where chloroquine resistance is reported.
🙅 What it does not mean
- Taking preventive tablets does not mean you cannot get malaria; seek testing for any fever.
- Malaria is not passed from person to person in normal contact.
- Symptoms can start weeks or months after travel, not only during the trip.
🗒️ Questions to ask your doctor
💊 Medicines whose labels mention “Malaria”
Plain-English explanations of each medicine, from its official FDA label.
- Artemether and Lumefantrine
an antimalarial medicine, which is a fixed combination of two blood-stage antimalarial ingredients (artemether, an artemisinin derivative, and lumefantrine)
- Dexamethasone
A corticosteroid, a synthetic adrenocortical steroid medicine that lowers inflammation and suppresses the immune system
- Hydroxychloroquine
an antimalarial and antirheumatic drug, which means it is used for malaria and for certain joint and immune conditions
- Primaquine
An antimalarial medicine of the 8-aminoquinoline group, as described in the label
🔗 Read more from trusted sources
- “Malaria” on MedlinePlus ↗
US National Library of Medicine
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