What You Should Know About. . .
Malaria is an illness caused by infection of the red blood cells with the parasite Plasmodium .
Each causes slightly different symptoms. Plasmodium falciparum is the most serious and may be life-threatening if not treated quickly. P. vivax, P. ovale and P. malariae require a second medication after primary treatment to prevent relapses. Nearly anyone can get malaria, however there are certain genetic traits that do provide some protection from malaria. Most black Africans show a natural resistance to infection with Plasmodium vivax due to the absence of a specific factor on the surface of their red blood cells.