Transmission of Malaria from Person to Person

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QUESTION

I was in Lagos, Nigeria and i was bitten. I had stomach ache and diarrhea for a day then back to normal. Just for precaution I checked my blood and the doc said that I have a mild malaria in my blood and he gave me a medicine. If i have malaria can I affect or transmit the malaria to other people like my friends or my wife by the saliva or by any means?

ANSWER

No, you cannot directly transmit malaria to other people. It can only be transmitted via the bite of an infected mosquito; as such, while you are recovering from malaria, you should take care not to be bitten by any mosquitoes, because if these mosquitoes then went on to bite someone else, they might get infected with malaria.

Since malaria infects the blood, if large amounts of blood are transferred between people, for example during a blood transfusion, organ transplant or during childbirth, then malaria can sometimes also be transmitted. But under normal circumstances, you can not directly transfer malaria to another person.

Malaria Infectious?

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QUESTION

Is malaria infectious?

ANSWER

Yes, malaria is considered an infectious disease, though it is very rarely transmitted directly between people, and virtually all of the time must be transmitted via the bite of a mosquito (of the genus Anopheles).

Because part of the life cycle of malaria occurs in red blood cells in the human host, if sufficient amounts of blood are shared between people, for example during a blood transfusion, malaria can also pass between them this way, though screening measures reduce the likelihood of this occurring. Similarly, an earlier part of the life cycle occurs in the liver, so transplant of this organ can also result in transmission.

Finally, malaria is able to pass through the placenta, and so can be transmitted from a mother to her unborn child in this way, or also via blood during childbirth. When a baby contracts malaria from each mother, either via the placenta or during childbirth, it is known as “congenital” malaria.