How long malaria virus stays in the blood

I had affected sever malaria and was on medication for 15 days. Blood test still shows it is present. How long will it present in the blood?
(October 5, 2010)

What is a malaria virus?

There are approximately 500,000 reported cases of malaria every year and quite a few of those result in death. Contrary to the common belief, there is nothing like a “malaria virus”. Instead of the malaria virus, the disease is caused by a parasite that belongs to the Plasmodium genus. Although there are over 200 different types of Plasmodium viruses, only 4 of them can infect human beings. These 4 malaria causing parasites are known as Plasmodium malariae, Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium vivax, and Plasmodium ovale.


The parasite is microscopic in size and lives within another organism, known as the host. When the host gets bitten by a mosquito that draws blood, the parasite then infects the mosquito. When a mosquito that has been infected, bites another person, it causes malaria to spread. There is only one specific species of mosquitoes, known as anopheles that can cause the disease to spread. Malaria is more prevalent in certain areas of Africa, South America, Central America and Asia.

Once a person gets bitten by an infected mosquito, it could take anywhere between 7 and 21 days, for the symptoms to become evident. The most common symptoms of malaria are headaches, muscle pain, chills and shivering as well as fever. In some cases, a patient may experience vomiting, nausea, diarrhea and a cough. It is common to see cycles of fever, chills and perspiring every two or three days in affected people. Due to the destruction of liver cells and red blood cells in the body, the skin and the whites of the eyes may appear yellow too. Severe cases of malaria may be accompanied by symptoms such as coma, problems in the central nervous system, kidney failure, liver problems, shock or bleeding problems. The cases of malaria that are severe should be treated immediately, or else it could lead to serious complications or even death.

How long does it take to recover from malaria?

Fortunately, full recovery from malaria is possible, with the help of prescription medicines and antibiotics. The type of drug that is used in the treatment depends on the malarial parasite that led to the infection, as well as the severity of the illness. A doctor may choose to dispense the medicines in the form of pills or even through an IV line. Unfortunately, it can take a person weeks or even months in recovering from malaria completely.

Preventing malaria

Preventing malaria is definitely better than suffering through it and then going through the malaria recovery phase. Preventive measures include avoiding areas that have been recently populated with mosquitoes. Using bed-nets, insecticides and antibacterial drugs may also be an effective way of avoiding being infected by malaria disease. Children under the age of 5 have the highest number of malaria cases that result in death. Therefore, children should be watched carefully and kept away from areas that may have a heavy populace of mosquitoes.

Especially those people who are planning to travel to countries where malaria is a problem should get more information on malaria preventive measures and vaccinations, by checking with a doctor or even through online resources.

How long malaria will last in your system will depend entirely on the type of malaria you are suffering from. If, after taking medication for 15 days, your blood test still shows presence of malaria, you need to immediately consult your physician, who will be able to provide you with a clearer picture, as well as the required treatment.

Malaria is a fever that is caused when our blood gets infected with parasites that are carried around by mosquitoes. Usually the symptoms of malaria appear only after eight to tens days of being bitten by the mosquito. Depending on the type and extend of malaria, a bout of malaria can last from one week to as long as one year. Malaria is a disease that has to be treated under proper medical supervision.

Apart from taking medical treatment, here are a few things that you can do at home that will provide you with some relief as well as help you recover from malaria faster. Make sure your diet consists mainly of grapefruit, orange juice and other fresh fruits, and raw vegetables. If you want to have boiled vegetables, do not add any spices to it. Fever dehydrates the body to a very large extend. To counter this deficiency, drink lots of fluid, such as fresh fruit juices and water. Do not drink aerated drinks, tea, or coffee. You can, however, have milk.

A combination of lime and lemon juice will also work wonders in controlling the fever. Add one tablespoon of lime juice to 50 ml of water and include the juice of one lemon to this mixture. Take this mixture whenever you feel the onset of fever.

Add a teaspoon of cinnamon powder to one glass of hot water. Add a pinch of pepper powder and one teaspoon of honey to this mixture. Take this concoction every morning, for the duration of the illness. Another thing that you can do is apply a cold pack to the whole body during a fever attack. This will help to reduce the temperature naturally whenever the fever strikes. The cold pack should be made up of a large piece of linen material soaked in cold water. This material should then be wrapped around the whole body, covered then by a warm blanket. Keep this cold wrap on for at least half an hour. All this, along with the medication prescribed by your physician, will surely help you to get rid of malaria faster.