Malaria
Malaria is a serious, sometimes fatal, disease caused by a parasite. There
are four kinds of malaria that can infect humans: Plasmodium falciparum, P. vivax , P. ovale, and P.
malariae.
Humans get malaria from the bite of a malaria-infected mosquito. When a
mosquito bites an infected person, it ingests microscopic malaria parasites
found in the person’s blood. The malaria parasite must grow in the mosquito
for a week or more before infection can be passed to another person. If, after a
week, the mosquito then bites another person, the parasites go from the mosquito’s
mouth into the person’s blood. The parasites then travel to the person’s
liver, enter the liver’s cells, grow and multiply.
During this time when the
parasites are in the liver, the person has not yet felt sick. The parasites
leave the liver and enter red blood cells; this may take as little as 8 days or
as many as several months.
Once inside the red blood cells, the parasites grow
and multiply. The red blood cells burst, freeing the parasites to attack other
red blood cells. Toxins from the parasite are also released into the blood,
making the person feel sick. If a mosquito bites this person while the parasites
are in his or her blood, it will ingest the tiny parasites. After a week or
more, the mosquito can infect another person.
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About this information: These definitions were provided by the Centers for Disease Control, the National Institutes for Health and other government health agencies. This information is for educational purposes only. If you are concerned about your health or your child's health, please consult your family's health care provider immediately. This information is not a substitute for personal medical attention, diagnosis or treatment.
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