Malaria – Diagnosis and Treatment

Diagnosis

Doctors check for malaria by looking at symptoms like fever, chills, headache, sweating, and fatigue.

They also ask about recent travel to places with many malaria cases, such as sub-Saharan Africa. A physical exam helps doctors find signs like anemia, jaundice, or an enlarged spleen. Blood tests are the main way to diagnose malaria.

These tests include:

• Microscopy (Blood Smear): Doctors see malaria parasites in red blood cells.
• Rapid Diagnostic Tests (RDTs): These tests give results in about 15 minutes.
• Other Blood Tests: Doctors use these to find the type of Plasmodium parasite.

Doctors order extra tests if patients have serious symptoms like seizures, confusion, or breathing trouble.

These tests check for problems such as low blood sugar, severe anemia, or organ damage. A fast and correct diagnosis helps prevent severe illness and death.

Treatment

Medicines Used to Fight Malaria

Doctors treat malaria with antimalarial medicines that fit the type of parasite, how sick the patient is, age, and pregnancy status. They choose a drug plan based on each patient’s needs.

Common drugs and combinations include:

• Antimalarial Drugs for Sensitive Strains: Used in regions where the parasite remains responsive to treatment. These are becoming less common due to increasing resistance.
• Artemisinin-Based Combination Therapies (ACTs): These combine multiple agents to treat chloroquine-resistant malaria strains. ACTs are considered first-line treatment for many resistant forms of malaria.
• Other Options: In some cases, healthcare providers use combination therapies that include antimalarial agents paired with antibiotics or medications targeting liver-stage parasites. These options may be used for prevention, to reduce relapse risk, or when standard treatments are unsuitable.

Doctors may also use intravenous antimalarial injections in severe malaria cases, especially when oral treatments aren’t viable. A malaria vaccine exists, but medicine remains the main way to treat active infections.

Getting Ready for Your Visit

Steps You Can Take

• List Your Symptoms: Write down all your symptoms. Include when they started and how severe they are. This helps doctors, especially for young children and pregnant women, since their health can change quickly.
• Review Recent Travels: List every country or region you visited. Focus on places outside the United States or areas where malaria is common. Include your travel dates and how long you stayed in each place.
• Share Prevention Methods Used: Write down if you used mosquito repellent, such as DEET or picaridin. Mention if you slept under insecticide-treated bed nets or used mosquito netting. Note if you took any medications to prevent malaria.

• Medication and Supplement List: Bring a list of all prescription drugs you take. Include over-the-counter medicines, dietary supplements, and herbal products.

• Mention Household Risks: Tell the doctor if children or pregnant women in your home might have been exposed. Ask if they need advice on prevention.