Malaria is a serious tropical disease spread by mosquitoes which mainly bite at dusk and at night. If it isn’t diagnosed and treated promptly, it can be fatal. It is caused by a parasite known as Plasmodium. There are 5 types of Plasmodium parasites known to cause disease in humans.
The Plasmodium falciparum parasite causes the most severe malaria symptoms and most deaths.
As complications of severe malaria can occur within hours or days of the first symptoms, it’s important to seek urgent medical help as soon as possible.
Complications of Malaria include:
- anemia- destruction of red blood cells
- cerebral malaria– can cause your brain to swell, sometimes leading to permanent brain damage.
- liver failure
- jaundice – yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes
- shock – a sudden drop in blood pressure
- pulmonary edema– a build-up of fluid in the lungs
- acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)
- hypoglycemia
- kidney failure
- swelling and rupturing of the spleen
- dehydration
