Malaria can look like a bad flu at first: fever, chills, headache, and muscle aches. If you’ve been in a region where malaria happens, don’t shrug off a fever. Getting tested quickly can be the difference between a short illness and something much worse.
Common early signs are fever, shivering, sweating, headache, nausea, and tiredness. Symptoms can start a week after a bite, or several months later depending on the parasite type. If you develop fever after travel, tell your provider where you went and when. A simple blood test will confirm malaria; labs look for parasites under a microscope or use rapid antigen tests.
Severe malaria brings fast breathing, confusion, low urine output, severe anemia, or bleeding. Those signs need emergency care—call for help or go to the nearest hospital right away.
Preventing mosquito bites is the first step: use insect repellent with DEET or picaridin, sleep under insecticide-treated bed nets, wear long sleeves and pants at dusk and dawn, and stay in screened or air-conditioned rooms when possible. For travel, many countries recommend a preventive medicine (prophylaxis). Options commonly used are atovaquone‑proguanil, doxycycline (a tetracycline-class drug), or mefloquine. Which one you should take depends on the destination and local resistance patterns—ask a travel clinic or your doctor before you go.
When malaria is diagnosed, treatment depends on the parasite species and how sick you are. For uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum infections, doctors usually use artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT). For severe malaria, intravenous artesunate in a hospital is standard. Drugs like doxycycline are often used as part of combination therapy or for prevention, but a healthcare professional needs to pick the right plan for you.
Resistance to older drugs (like chloroquine) means choices change by region. That’s why local guidance matters. If you’re unsure about medicines you find online or want to compare options, talk with a pharmacist or your clinician first. Avoid buying antimalarials from unknown sources—fake or poor-quality medicines can be dangerous.
Travel tip: pack a small travel health kit, bring proof of where you’ve been if you get sick, and keep a copy of your current medicines. If you take preventive pills, follow the full schedule—some continue after you return home.
Want more on specific medicines? Search for articles on doxycycline and antimalarial choices, or check our travel health guides for region-specific advice. If you have symptoms after travel, act fast—get tested and treated by a professional.
