Malaria from Dominican Republic?

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QUESTION

Hi i just came back from the Dominican Republic. I started to have a mild fever, chills, muscle pains, a headache, and a cough. Today the fever and chills are gone but my cough and headache have gotten worse. It hurts my head a lot when I cough, I feel a lot of pressure in my head. Can you please tell me why my head hurts so much.  Is this a symptom of malaria? hope to hear from you guys soon thanks!

ANSWER

Headaches can be caused by many things – they are usually classified as primary (tension headaches, migraines or cluster headaches), secondary (as a side effect to some other illness or syndrome, which can very commonly be an infection or response to an allergen) and neuralgia and “other” headaches (neuralgia is inflamed nerves). Malaria, as a serious infection, can cause secondary headaches, while other symptoms include fever (usually in cycles of 2 or 3 days), chills, nausea and aches. However, these symptoms are also consistent with a wide range of other illnesses, including influenza and other common diseases. Malaria symptoms will only appear at least one week after being bitten – if you have started feeling symptoms sooner than this, then you probably don’t have malaria.

Malaria is present in the Dominican Republic, with highest transmission risk in the western part of the country, near the Haitian border. The cities of Santiago and Santo Domingo are considered very low risk for malaria. It is actually recommended that all travellers to the DR take anti-malarial medication (called prophylaxis), to protect against malaria infection. If you were taking prophylaxis, then the risk of getting malaria is very low. However, if you were visiting areas outside of these cities, were not taking anti-malaria medication and it has been at least a week since you were bitten by mosquitoes while there, it may be worth going to your doctor or a hospital to have a malaria test. If you are diagnosed with the disease, then your doctor can quickly prescribe you effective treatment, which should clear up the infection in a matter of days. The type of malaria in the Dominican Republic (Plasmodium falciparum) can be dangerous if left untreated, though in this area, it responds readily to several different drugs, including chloroquine, so treatment will be uncomplicated.

If you have taken medications for malaria, please help Malaria.com by taking our Malaria Medication Side-effects Survey: Treatment and Prophylaxis. Thank you!

Malaria Symptoms

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QUESTION

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS?

ANSWER

Symptoms of malaria include fever and flu-like illness, including shaking chills, headache, muscle aches, and tiredness. Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea may also occur. Malaria may cause anemia and jaundice (yellow coloring of the skin and eyes) because of the loss of red blood cells. Symptoms usually appear between 10 and 15 days after the mosquito bite. If not treated, malaria can quickly become life-threatening by disrupting the blood supply to vital organs. Infection with one type of malaria, Plasmodium falciparum, if not promptly treated, may cause kidney failure, seizures, mental confusion, coma, and death. In many parts of the world, the parasites have developed resistance to a number of malaria medicines.

Malaria Disorder

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QUESTION

what is the malaria disorder?

ANSWER

Malaria is caused by a parasite called Plasmodium, which is transmitted via the bites of infected mosquitoes. In the human body, the parasites multiply in the liver, and then infect red blood cells. Usually, people get malaria by being bitten by an infective female Anopheles mosquito.

Symptoms of malaria include fever and flu-like illness, including shaking chills, headache, muscle aches, and tiredness. Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea may also occur. Malaria may cause anemia and jaundice (yellow coloring of the skin and eyes) because of the loss of red blood cells. Symptoms usually appear between 10 and 15 days after the mosquito bite. If not treated, malaria can quickly become life-threatening by disrupting the blood supply to vital organs. Infection with one type of malaria, Plasmodium falciparum, if not promptly treated, may cause kidney failure, seizures, mental confusion, coma, and death. In many parts of the world, the parasites have developed resistance to a number of malaria medicines.

What are the Symptoms of Malaria?

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QUESTION

What are malaria symptoms?

ANSWER

Symptoms of malaria include fever and flu-like illness, including shaking chills, headache, muscle aches, and tiredness. Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea may also occur. Malaria may cause anemia and jaundice (yellow coloring of the skin and eyes) because of the loss of red blood cells.

Symptoms usually appear between 10 and 15 days after the mosquito bite. If not treated, malaria can quickly become life-threatening by disrupting the blood supply to vital organs. Infection with one type of malaria, Plasmodium falciparum, if not promptly treated, may cause kidney failure, seizures, mental confusion, coma, and death. In many parts of the world, the parasites have developed resistance to a number of malaria medicines.

For most people, symptoms begin 10 days to 4 weeks after infection, although a person may feel ill as early as 7 days or as late as 1 year later. Two kinds of malaria, P. vivax and P. ovale, can occur again (relapsing malaria). In P. vivax and P. ovale infections, some parasites can remain dormant in the liver for several months up to about 4 years after a person is bitten by an infected mosquito. When these parasites come out of hibernation and begin invading red blood cells (“relapse”), the person will become sick.

Infection with malaria parasites may result in a wide variety of symptoms, ranging from absent or very mild symptoms to severe disease and even death. Malaria disease can be categorized as uncomplicated or severe (complicated) . In general, malaria is a curable disease if diagnosed and treated promptly and correctly.

What do people look like when they have malaria?

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QUESTION

What do people look like when they have malaria?

ANSWER

They look sick! When a person has malaria, they experience a flu-like illness, characterised by cycles of fevers and chills, and often accompanied by headaches and nausea. In addition, they may have jaundice (a yellowing of the skin and eyes) due to loss of red blood cells.