QUESTION: What are the symptoms? ANSWER: Symptoms of malaria include fever and flu-like illness, including shaking chills, headache, muscle aches, and tiredness. Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea may also occur. Malaria may cause anemia and jaundice (yellow coloring of the skin and eyes) because of the loss of red blood cells. Symptoms usually appear between 10 and 15 days after the mosquito … [Read more...]
Malaria and Jaundice
QUESTION: Why are patients suffering with malaria more susceptible to jaundice? ANSWER: The icterus/jaundice is usually from lysis/breakdown of infected red blood cells as they rupture and release new malaria parasites into the bloodstream. If only 1% of red cells are infected, this will be mild. If "parasitaemia" is severe/life threatening, say, 10% of red cells infected, then the … [Read more...]