People at risk

• Travelers, children or adults who come from countries where malaria is not present and who have therefore not developed immunity;

• Residents of areas where malaria is present may be frequently exposed to the disease, so that they acquire partial immunity, which may lessen the severity of symptoms. However, this immunity can disappear by moving to a country where the parasite is absent;

• Pregnant women and their unborn child;

• People with HIV / AIDS;

• People who have a blood transfusion (rarely).

Risk factors

Live or visit tropical regions where malaria is common and where the strains present cause the most deaths, for example:

• African countries south of the Sahara Desert;
• The countries of the Indian subcontinent;
• Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea and Haiti.