Malaria primer for clinicians in the United States

Though low, the incidence of malaria in the United States is not insignificant and can be the source of infection in febrile travelers returning from endemic areas. Clinicians practicing in the United States must have a basic understanding of the malaria life cycle and its treatments to properly diagnose and treat this potentially fatal disease. Malaria chemotherapy can be broken into clinical classes for easier understanding, and any traveler to a malaria-endemic region should be placed on prophylactic medications. Mosquito bite prevention should be undertaken by all travelers, and methods of deterring mosquito bites should be understood. Copyright © 2005 by The Southern Medical Association.