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View synonyms for

malaria

[muh-lair-ee-uh]

noun

  1. Pathology.any of a group of diseases, usually intermittent or remittent, characterized by attacks of chills, fever, and sweating: formerly supposed to be due to swamp exhalations but now known to be caused by a parasitic protozoan, which is transferred to the human bloodstream by a mosquito of the genus Anopheles and which occupies and destroys red blood cells.

  2. Archaic.unwholesome or poisonous air.



malaria

/ əˈɛəɪə /

noun

  1. an infectious disease characterized by recurring attacks of chills and fever, caused by the bite of an anopheles mosquito infected with any of four protozoans of the genus Plasmodium ( P. vivax, P. falciparum, P. malariae, or P. ovale )

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

malaria

  1. An infectious disease of tropical areas caused by the parasitic infection of red blood cells by a protozoan of the genus Plasmodium, which is transmitted by the bite of an infected female mosquito. Malaria is characterized by recurrent episodes of chills, fever, sweating, and anemia and is endemic in Africa, Central America, and much of Southern Asia and northern South America.

malaria

  1. An infectious disease caused by a parasite that is transmitted by the bite of an infected mosquito. Persons suffering from malaria experience periodic episodes of chills and fever.

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Other Word Forms

  • malarial adjective
  • malarian adjective
  • malarious adjective
  • nonmalarial adjective
  • nonmalarian adjective
  • nonmalarious adjective
  • postmalarial adjective
  • pseudomalaria noun
  • unmalarial adjective
  • ˈ adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of malaria1

1730–40; < Italian, contraction of mala aria bad air
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Word History and Origins

Origin of malaria1

C18: from Italian mala aria bad air, from the belief that the disease was caused by the unwholesome air in swampy districts
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Mosquitoes should be given malaria drugs to clear their infection so they can no longer spread the disease, say US researchers.

From

The cut in US assistance, expected to take effect next year, would affect drugs to treat malaria, HIV and TB.

From

Sea level rise has also been linked to infertility, and pregnant people have an increased risk for contracting climate-related illnesses like malaria.

From

He said the cuts would affect drugs to treat malaria, HIV and TB.

From

The parasite needed to spread infectious disease like malaria is not present here.

From

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When To Use

is malaria?

Malaria is the collective name of a potentially fatal group of diseases caused by parasitic organisms spread through bites of a particular mosquito.Symptoms of malaria include periods of fever, chills, and sweating followed by respiratory problems and organ failure and, finally, death. Malaria is preventable and, if it’s caught early, it is curable.Malaria is caused by a parasitic, microscopic organism known as a protozoan. At least four members of the genus Plasmodium are known to cause malaria in humans. These are P. falciparum, P. malariae, P. ovale, and P. vivax. P.knowlesi may also cause malaria.These protozoa enter the bloodstream through a bite from several different species of female mosquitoes from the genus Anopheles. The protozoa are more likely to live inside a mosquito with a long life and are more likely to enter humans if the mosquito has a tendency to bite humans instead of animals.The majority of species of Anopheles mosquitoes that fit both categories are native to Africa. For this reason, over 90 percent of the world’s malaria cases occur in Africa. In 2018, there were 228 million cases of malaria, with 405 thousand deaths.

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ämalariology