Malaria

Abstract This chapter provides the reader with a summary about the epidemiology, life cycle, clinical features, diagnosis, and treatment of malaria caused by Plasmodium species, particularly P. falciparum and P. vivax. It explains patterns of transmission, incubation periods, and the mechanisms of severe disease, including cerebral malaria and ‘blackwater fever’. Typical presentations, diagnostic methods with thick and thin blood smears, and the importance of species identification are described. The need for prompt therapy in suspected P. falciparum infection is emphasized. All of the information maps to the RCEM Basic Sciences syllabus, making it relevant to Emergency Medicine practice and the examination.