Cause of symptoms - What happens inside of you when you contract malaria?
When the female mosquito's parasite-infected saliva is injected into the human body it travels straight to the liver. Once inside the liver it can either remain dormant for up to a year or begin to reproduce immediately. The reproductive rate eventually overwhelms our liver and the hepatocytes start to burst. Once this happens the parasites are released into our blood stream. They grasp onto erythrocytes and whilst still multiplying their population inside our bodies, they are destroying the red blood cells too. Erythrocytes are chronically important for waste removal of carbon dioxide and the delivery of oxygen around the body. This is known as the respiratory gas transport system. Without erythrocytes our bodies would not be able to maintain this involuntary function of keeping the body oxygenated and removing CO2 from the body. After the protozoan parasite has destroyed more than 5 percent of the body's erythrocytes, (although rare) victims may endure hyperparasitemia, a symptom that occurs when infected with the P. falciparum strain. Soon the fever and other symptoms will become noticeable as the red blood cell levels drop and circulation in vital organs experience complications. Disrupted circulation in vital organs such as the spleen, heart, kidney's, brain, liver etc. can be fatal which is why untreated victims, like children and adults in Africa, die. Parasites will continue destroying erythrocytes and multiplying until the malaria cycle is completed or the victim is treated.
Below is a diagram showing the usual progress of the disease.
Below is a diagram showing the usual progress of the disease.