Is Malaria Contagious Between Humans?

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QUESTION

If someone has malaria, is it contagious?

ANSWER

No. Malaria cannot be transmitted via touching or saliva or air. In virtually all cases, it is only transmitted by the bite of an infected mosquito, and so cannot be passed from one person to another. There are a few exception—because the parasite lives in certain organs and in the blood, it can sometimes be transmitted via blood transfusion or organ transplant. It can also pass via the placenta from a mother to her unborn child, or to the child during childbirth.

Is Malaria Contagious?

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QUESTION

Is malaria contagious?

ANSWER

Malaria cannot be transmitted directly between people via normal circumstances, so it is not contagious in the same way flu or the common cold is contagious. It also cannot be sexually transmitted.

In most cases, malaria can only be transmitted via the bite of an infected mosquito, so unless those mosquitoes are present, it cannot be transmitted. Because infectious stages of the parasite are present in the blood, in some cases malaria can be transmitted via blood transfusion (if the blood is not properly treated or screened), via organ transfer, or from a mother to her foetus, either via the placenta or during childbirth (this is called “congenital malaria”). However, compared to the amount of transmission which occurs via mosquito, these cases are relatively rare, and the vast majority of the time, malaria is not directly transmitted between people.