Does malaria last for the rest of ones life?
No, not necessarily. Malaria can be treated. If the right drugs are used, people who have malaria can be cured and all the malaria parasites can be eliminated. However, the disease can persist if it is left untreated or if it is treated with the wrong drug. Some drugs are ineffective because the parasite is resistant to them. Some patients may be treated with the right drug, but at the wrong dose or for too short a period of time. Two types (species) of parasites, Plasmodium vivax and P. ovale, have dormant liver stages that can remain silent for years. Left untreated, these liver stages may reactivate and cause malaria attacks (“relapses”) after months or years without symptoms. Patients diagnosed with P. vivax or P. ovale are often given a second drug to help prevent these relapses. Another type (species), P. malariae, if left untreated, has been known to persist in the blood of some persons for several decades. But in general, if you are correctly treated for malaria, the parasites
