There’s never anything to like about getting a mosquito bite, but in most parts of the world all that will come of it is a temporary itchy welt on the skin that will be gone in a day’s time. However, in other parts of the world there’s very much a roll of the dice with a mosquito bite and there’s going to be the chance that you get malaria from it. That’s not going to put your life in danger like it did in the early parts of the last century, and that’s because there are antimalarial medications that work well. But is malaria a bloodborne pathogen? That’s what we’ll look at here.  

It's pretty easy to come to that conclusion when you consider that mosquitoes bite to draw blood, and the microfilariae of the parasite causing malaria will enter the body via the bloodstream when it’s introduced via that bite. The nature of how it gets its start means that once it is in it immediately starts to move quickly provided the person has good circulation, and most people do. It’s a good thing people usually get vaccinated against malaria, because if the infection is allowed to progress unchecked then it can result in brain damage, organ failure, or death.  

So there’s your answer for is malaria a bloodborne pathogen. It is, and the reason that mosquito bites can be impossible to avoid can also mean that you need to be doing everything you can to prevent malaria before you travel to the regions of the world where the diseases is common. Once it’s in the blood it’s going to progress quickly because it is a bloodborne pathogen and your blood is moving through you body at a good clip at all times because that is what it needs to do. 

Know the Signs 

Continuing with our look at is malaria a bloodborne pathogen, it may be helpful for people who are travelling to sunny and warm climates where malaria is a possibility to know the signs of it. Ideally these people will have already received a malaria vaccination, and one for typhoid is probably going to be a good idea too if they’re going to Africa. We’ve gone over is malaria bloodborne, and anyone who has read through this will be aware of how someone gets malaria. As has been said an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.  

If that’s not heeded by people and they do find themselves falling ill on their travels to these places then it will good to know the early signs of malaria. These include high fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, sweats, fatigue, chest pain, breathing difficulties, cough, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting. In severe cases when the person has a weakened immune system they may also experience seizures.  

As it worsens the person may also have an jaundice, which is when skin and whites of the eyes become yellow. That’s good information to know along with is malaria a bloodborne pathogen, and if emergency treatment is needed then it’s also a good thing that hydroxychloroquine can be dispensed from most pharmacies in the world.