Symptoms of Malaria

Malaria symptoms usually start 7 to 30 days after the bite, though some types can stay silent for months. Early symptoms look like flu, so a blood test is the only way to tell.

Common symptoms

• Fever, often with shaking chills and then heavy sweating
• Headache and body aches
• Nausea, vomiting and loss of appetite
• Tiredness and weakness
• Sometimes diarrhoea or mild cough

The typical pattern

A cycle of chills, high fever and sweating may repeat every 2 to 3 days in some types, such as vivax and malariae. In falciparum malaria the fever may be irregular and does not always follow a neat pattern.

Signs of severe malaria - go to an emergency room (112 or 102)

• Confusion, extreme drowsiness, fits or fainting
• Difficulty breathing or very fast breathing
• Very dark or reduced urine, or yellow eyes and skin
• Bleeding, or very pale skin from severe anaemia
• Persistent vomiting so that tablets cannot be kept down