Malaria

1 medicine

Malaria is a mosquito-borne parasitic infection causing fever, chills, and headache; it is treated with antiparasitic medicines such as chloroquine, and prompt diagnosis matters.

Aralen

Chloroquine

250/500mg

Aralen is a antiparasitics medication containing Chloroquine, available as 250/500mg tablets.

from $0.56 / tablet View

Key facts

  • Malaria is caused by Plasmodium parasites, passed on through the bite of an infected female Anopheles mosquito.
  • Symptoms usually appear a week or more after infection: fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, and tiredness that can be mistaken for flu.
  • It is treated with antiparasitic medicines such as chloroquine, though the right choice depends on local resistance patterns.
  • A blood test confirms the diagnosis, and finishing the full course matters even once you feel better.

What causes malaria and how it presents

Malaria is an infection caused by Plasmodium parasites passed on through the bite of an infected female Anopheles mosquito. It remains a real risk in warm, humid regions where mosquito numbers stay high year-round. Symptoms usually appear a week or more after infection and often start as fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, and tiredness that can be mistaken for flu.

Treating and preventing malaria

Malaria is treated, and in many cases prevented, with antiparasitic medicines that target the parasite in the bloodstream. Chloroquine is one long-standing option, used against parasite strains that still respond to it; the right choice depends on where the infection was picked up, since resistance patterns vary by region.

When to seek care

Fever that starts during or after travel to a malaria-risk area should be checked quickly, as the illness can become serious within days. A blood test confirms the diagnosis, and finishing the full course of treatment matters even once you start to feel better, since stopping early can let the infection return. Some forms of the parasite can lie dormant in the liver and cause a relapse months later, so a doctor may prescribe an additional medicine to clear that dormant stage once the acute infection has resolved.

Reducing your risk

Preventive medicine before, during, and after travel to a risk area lowers the chance of infection considerably, and mosquito-bite precautions, repellent, covering up at dusk, and sleeping under a treated net, add further protection. Anyone with a fever after visiting a malaria-endemic area should mention the travel history to a clinician straight away, since malaria can be mistaken for a routine viral illness until it is specifically tested for.

This page is educational and does not replace advice from a doctor or pharmacist who knows your health history.