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Malaria
What it is and how to reduce your chances of getting it
Imagine having the worst flu of your life. Now imagine having the worst flu of your life and you’re on vacation, far away from home. Malaria. Have you heard of it? Have you ever wondered what exactly it is?
Trust me, this is one illness you do not want to have when you travel, or ever, for that matter!
Very briefly, malaria is a parasitic infection transmitted by a particular type of mosquito. The culprit is the anopheles mosquito, and more specifically, it’s the female anopheles mosquito that transmits the parasite responsible for malaria.
It all begins with a parasite known as Plasmodium and there are several types that infect humans, but the one that causes the most infections and the most severe illness is Plasmodium falciparum.
It all begins with a mosquito bite
The most common way people become infected is by being bitten by an anopheles mosquito that has been infected with the parasite.
When the infected mosquito bites you to feed on your blood, some of the parasites in the mosquito’s saliva is injected into you and voila! The parasite is now in your bloodstream.
