Overview
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infection caused by Plasmodium parasites and remains one of the most common reasons people fall ill in Nigeria. It typically causes fever, chills and body aches a week or more after a bite from an infected mosquito. Because many fevers are not malaria, the standard advice is to test before treating.
Symptoms
- Fever that may come and go
- Chills and shivering
- Headache
- Body and joint aches
- Tiredness and weakness
- Nausea or vomiting
- Loss of appetite
- Bitter taste in the mouth
Causes & risk factors
- Bite from an infected female Anopheles mosquito
- Living in or visiting an area where malaria spreads
- Sleeping without an insecticide-treated net
- Stagnant water around the home where mosquitoes breed
Treatment & self-care
Get a malaria test (RDT or microscopy) before taking any medicine, then complete the full course of antimalarial tablets your doctor or pharmacist recommends. Rest, drink plenty of fluids and use paracetamol-type relief for fever as advised. Sleeping under a treated net and clearing stagnant water helps prevent repeat episodes.
See a doctor urgently if
- Fever does not settle within 48 hours of starting treatment
- Repeated vomiting, so medicines cannot stay down
- Confusion, extreme drowsiness or convulsions
- Dark or very little urine, or yellow eyes
- Fever in a pregnant woman or a child under five