malaria

American  

[muh-lair-ee-uh] / məˈlɛər i ə /

noun

1. Pathology. any of a group of diseases, usually intermittent or remittent, characterized by attacks of chills, fever, and sweating: formerly supposed to be due to swamp exhalations but now known to be caused by a parasitic protozoan, which is transferred to the human bloodstream by a mosquito of the genus Anopheles and which occupies and destroys red blood cells.

2. Archaic. unwholesome or poisonous air.

---

malaria British  

/ məˈlɛərɪə /

noun

1. an infectious disease characterized by recurring attacks of chills and fever, caused by the bite of an anopheles mosquito infected with any of four protozoans of the genus Plasmodium ( P. vivax, P. falciparum, P. malariae, or P. ovale )

---

malaria Scientific  

/ mə-lâr′ē-ə /

1. An infectious disease of tropical areas caused by the parasitic infection of red blood cells by a protozoan of the genus Plasmodium, which is transmitted by the bite of an infected female mosquito. Malaria is characterized by recurrent episodes of chills, fever, sweating, and anemia and is endemic in Africa, Central America, and much of Southern Asia and northern South America.

---

malaria Cultural  

1. An infectious disease caused by a parasite that is transmitted by the bite of an infected mosquito. Persons suffering from malaria experience periodic episodes of chills and fever.

---

Usage

What is malaria? Malaria is the collective name of a potentially fatal group of diseases caused by parasitic organisms spread through bites of a particular mosquito. Symptoms of malaria include periods of fever, chills, and sweating followed by respiratory problems and organ failure and, finally, death. Malaria is preventable and, if it’s caught early, it is curable. Malaria is caused by a parasitic, microscopic organism known as a protozoan. At least four members of the genus Plasmodium are known to cause malaria in humans. These are P. falciparum, P. malariae, P. ovale, and P. vivax. P.knowlesi may also cause malaria. These protozoa enter the bloodstream through a bite from several different species of female mosquitoes from the genus Anopheles. The protozoa are more likely to live inside a mosquito with a long life and are more likely to enter humans if the mosquito has a tendency to bite humans instead of animals. The majority of species of Anopheles mosquitoes that fit both categories are native to Africa. For this reason, over 90 percent of the world’s malaria cases occur in Africa. In 2018, there were 228 million cases of malaria, with 405 thousand deaths.

Other Word Forms

• malarial
  adjective
• malarian
  adjective
• malarious
  adjective
• nonmalarial
  adjective
• nonmalarian
  adjective
• nonmalarious
  adjective
• postmalarial
  adjective
• pseudomalaria
  noun
• unmalarial
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of malaria

1730–40; < Italian, contraction of mala aria bad air

Explanation

Malaria is an infectious disease that spreads through mosquitoes. If you're traveling in a warm-climate area in the tropics, you might be in danger of contracting malaria. Pack your Deep Woods OFF!. Malaria's symptoms include high fevers, chills, flu-like symptoms, and anemia. Malaria is found in warmer-climate places like the tropics and subtropics. When people travel on vacation to these places, they are in danger of contracting the disease. While Malaria is treatable, more than a million people die of the disease each year.

Example Sentences

These are known as Ebola’s “dry” symptoms, and they are often mistaken for malaria.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026

Dr Kamba explained the symptoms: "There is heavy bleeding everywhere, very high fever. But Bundibugyo can show fewer obvious signs, which delays diagnosis because people think, 'No, this is just malaria.'"

From BBC • May 19, 2026

People infected by the Bundibugyo strain initially show symptoms similar to flu or malaria which can delay detection.

From Barron's • May 18, 2026

Their analysis revealed that humans consistently avoided, or could not remain in, areas where malaria transmission was especially high.

From Science Daily • May 3, 2026

We didn’t know whether she wanted us all to get malaria now, for punishment, or if she had simply lost her mind.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver