Treatment

Treatment of P. falciparum malaria is a medical emergency. The parasite can multiply rapidly in the blood, and complications of infection can prove fatal even after treatment has started. Since P. vivax malaria is almost never fatal, early treatment is not as critical. However, curative treatment should always commence rapidly. Treatment must take into account the part of the world where you most likely acquired malaria, because in various countries, P. falciparum has become resistant to many common anti-malarial drugs. The treatment uses the same drugs as for prevention. Patients with falciparum malaria tend to have the most severe symptoms. These patients are often treated in the intensive care unit of a hospital, especially if they develop malarial complications involving the brain or kidneys.

Thanks to proper treatment with antimalarial drugs, most patients in Britain with malaria have an excellent prognosis. However, patients with falciparum malaria generally have the most difficult course of illness, the greatest risk of complications and the greatest danger of death. As with most serious infections, malaria is more likely to be fatal in infants, the elderly and patients who have weakened immune systems.