Malaria is a potentially life-threatening infectious disease that occurs after a person is bitten by a mosquito that is infected with a specific parasite (sporozoites). Estimates provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicate that approximately 1 million people die from malaria each year throughout the world. Cases of malaria within the United States are rare, but malaria symptoms most commonly occur in people who have recently traveled abroad.
High Fever
If you have malaria, you can develop a high fever. A fever is your body's natural immune response to infection and helps to prevent the parasite from replicating and spreading throughout your body.
In addition to fever, you can also experience profuse sweating and fatigue. These symptoms typically occur 10 days to 4 weeks after you are infected, explain health professionals at Medline Plus, an informational medical website provided by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Chills
Malaria can cause you to experience abnormal sensations of coldness (chills). You may begin to shake uncontrollably (shivering) or find that you are unable to get warm, despite wearing warm clothing or blankets. Malaria infection can cause patients to alternate through cycles of chills and fever, which may also be accompanied by extreme fatigue or a general feeling of discomfort (malaise).
Headache
Headache symptoms associated with malaria can vary in severity from mild to severe and may occur within any region of you head. Typically, headache symptoms occur in conjunction with other malaria symptoms, such as fever, chills or stomach upset.
Upset Stomach
An upset stomach can occur as a symptom of malaria in certain people. Symptoms include moderate to severe nausea or vomiting. You may also experience frequent bowel movement urges that produce watery or loose stools (diarrhea). Symptoms of diarrhea can also cause abdominal pain, bloating or cramping to occur in certain people with malaria.
Anemia
The parasite that causes malaria acts by destroying the red blood cells (immune cells) within your bloodstream. This can cause certain patients with malaria to develop anemia---a condition that occurs due to an insufficient supply of red blood cells within the body. Symptoms of anemia include fatigue, dizziness, headache and confusion.
Jaundice
Low levels of red blood cells within your body can cause you to develop jaundice. Jaundice is a medical condition characterized by the yellowing of the eyes and skin and can serve as an indicator of liver damage.
