What should you know about mosquitoes and malaria?

A bite does not tell you whether a mosquito carried malaria. Risk depends on where you travelled, local transmission, the time since exposure and whether preventive medicine was used. Symptoms may begin after you return, so tell a clinician about travel even if the bite seemed minor.

Fever is a common presentation of malaria, and chills or muscle aches may occur with it. These symptoms can also have other causes, so a blood test may be needed rather than relying on symptoms alone.

If you develop fever or feel unwell during or after travel in a malaria-risk area, arrange prompt medical assessment and mention every relevant destination. Do not wait for symptoms to become severe. A clinician may arrange testing and explain treatment if malaria is found.

For future travel, book a travel health consultation early. Advice may include malaria prophylaxis, covering exposed skin, using an appropriate insect repellent and sleeping behind intact screens or under a treated net.

Seek urgent medical help for fever after travel to a malaria-risk area, especially with confusion, difficulty breathing, repeated vomiting, faintness, marked weakness or inability to drink. Malaria can worsen quickly, and early assessment helps guide testing and treatment.

Ask which destinations carried risk, whether you need a blood test, when symptoms could appear, and which malaria prophylaxis and bite-avoidance measures fit your itinerary and medicines.