Ingestion of Malaria Blood

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QUESTION

If someone were to eat/ingest the blood of an infected individual would they become infected with malaria? If an infected person’s blood was on their hands and they handled food, would eating the food put others at risk for malaria?

ANSWER

No, you would not get infected with malaria, as the malaria parasites must be transmitted into a person’s blood directly in order for them to be infected. As such, most transmission only occurs via mosquitoes: when a mosquito bites a person infected with malaria, it may pick up some of the malaria parasites while it feeds on the person’s blood. When it then goes to bite another person, after the parasite has replicated and changed inside the mosquito, it can pass the malaria on to the next person, again when it bites them and drinks the person’s blood.

Additionally, in some cases malaria can be transmitted by blood transfusion or organ donation, or from a mother to her unborn baby via the placenta, or through blood passed in childbirth. If you ate/drank malaria-infected blood, the parasites would be broken down and destroyed by your stomach acid.

Can I Catch Malaria from Someone?

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QUESTION

My fiancee contracted malaria a few years ago. It was diagnosed as recurring. Could I contract malaria from the infected person, I have had similar symptoms which last a day or two, recurring with regular two week intervals, of which the most concerning are malaise, fever, stiff neck, headaches and severe pains over abdomen spreading into my mid back. What should I do?

ANSWER

Malaria cannot be directly transmitted between two people—it is almost always transmitted by the bite of an infected mosquito, and cannot survive at low temperatures (under about 17 degrees C). In some very rare cases, malaria can be transmitted through organ transplant, blood transfusion and pregnancy, since it infects red blood cells. Given these restrictions, it is close to impossible that you contracted malaria from your fiancee, and you should talk to your doctor about alternative explanations.

Also, if your girlfriend has recurring malaria, she should talk to her doctor about taking primaquine. While not suitable for everyone (namely people with G6DP deficiency should not take it), it can kill the dormant stages of the malaria parasite and prevent recurrence.

Is malaria infectious?

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QUESTION

Is malaria infectious or noninfectious?

ANSWER

Malaria is considered an infectious disease because it can be transmitted from one person to another, via the bite of an infected mosquito. Since the parasite that causes malaria is passed through the blood, it can also be transmitted via organ transplant, blood transfusion, or via pregnancy (so-called “congenital” malaria).