You can take medicine to treat malaria. You can also take medicine to make it less likely you’ll get the disease.
Malaria is a serious disease that causes high fever, chills, and flu-like symptoms that can be life-threatening if not treated quickly. You can get malaria when you visit different parts of the world, especially countries in warmer, tropical climates.
Using drugs to prevent sickness is known as prophylactic medicine. You don’t have the disease, and you’re taking medicine to keep it that way.
But malaria pills aren’t 100% effective in preventing the disease. The pills should be used with other preventive steps, such as wearing insect repellant, wearing long sleeves, and protecting your sleeping area with a net or other kind of bed treatment.
