Caused by a parasite spread through the bite of an infected mosquito. Common in Uganda year-round, with peaks in the rainy seasons.
Malaria is caused by Plasmodium parasites that enter the bloodstream through the bite of an infected female Anopheles mosquito. Once inside the body, the parasite travels to the liver, multiplies, and then infects red blood cells, which is what triggers the cycles of fever and chills that make malaria so recognisable. In Uganda it circulates year-round, with case numbers typically climbing during and just after the rainy seasons when mosquito breeding sites are most abundant.
The only way malaria spreads is through a mosquito bite from a mosquito that has itself previously bitten an infected person — it does not pass directly from person to person. Risk rises with unscreened housing, standing water near the home, and time spent outdoors unprotected between dusk and dawn, when Anopheles mosquitoes feed most actively.
Treatment depends on confirming the diagnosis first, since malaria symptoms overlap with several other common illnesses — this is why a rapid test or blood film is the essential first step rather than treating on suspicion alone. Once confirmed, an appropriate course of antimalarial medication is prescribed based on the specific parasite species and the severity of the case, with our clinicians monitoring response over the following days.
See a doctor if: you have a fever lasting more than a day, especially with chills — a rapid malaria test at our laboratory can confirm it within minutes.
