Can malaria spread from person to person?

A mosquito can acquire malaria parasites when it bites an infected person and later pass them to another person through a bite. Hugging, sharing food, coughing, and sitting near someone with malaria do not normally transmit the infection. Rare routes can involve infected blood, such as transfusion or shared needles, and transmission from a pregnant person to a baby can occur. These routes are why medical teams ask about travel, pregnancy, transfusions, and injection equipment.

Use mosquito protection in areas where malaria occurs: wear clothing that covers skin, use an appropriate repellent, and sleep behind intact screens or under a treated bed net. A travel clinician can match prevention advice to your destination, season, activities, and health history. If you develop fever, chills, or muscle aches during travel or after returning, arrange prompt medical assessment and mention every malaria-risk area you visited. A blood test may be needed.

Seek urgent medical care for fever or chills after travel to a malaria-risk area, especially with confusion, fainting, trouble breathing, repeated vomiting, or marked weakness. Malaria can worsen quickly, and early symptoms may resemble other illnesses. Do not wait for symptoms to become severe or assume that a mosquito bite was harmless.

Ask which exposures could explain your symptoms, whether a blood test should be repeated, how long to watch for illness after travel, and which mosquito precautions fit your destination.