Malaria
Films and a rapid test today, repeated to three negatives; severe criteria and IV artesunate; artemether-lumefantrine for uncomplicated disease; G6PD testing before primaquine or tafenoquine for vivax and ovale; and the detection traps (HRP2 deletions, knowlesi, sequestration).
Tier 2Condition
Written with AI assistance and fact-checked against the sources below. For exam study, not clinical decisions. How notes are made
At a glance
- Australia was certified malaria free in 1981, but about 300 to 600 imported cases are notified each year, mostly from Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. North Queensland has Anopheles vectors, so local transmission is possible.
- Falciparum malaria is a medical emergency. Untreated, a well patient can deteriorate within 24 hours.
- Test the same day with thick and thin films plus a rapid antigen test, and repeat to three negatives.
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Sources
- Therapeutic Guidelines: Antibiotic. MalariaAU/NZTherapeutic Guidelines Limited (eTG complete), 2025 to 2026 staged update (topic version not verified)
- WHO guidelines for malariaWorld Health Organization, Living guideline, version of 10 September 2026 (accessed November 2026)
- Treatment of severe malaria (clinical guidance)US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Updated 17 August 2026
- Effectiveness and safety of 7-day high-dose primaquine and single-dose tafenoquine versus 14-day low-dose primaquine in Plasmodium vivax malaria (EFFORT)Lancet Infectious Diseases, Degaga et al., Lancet Infect Dis 2026;26(6):614-26
- AusPAR: Kozenis (tafenoquine)AU/NZTherapeutic Goods Administration, December 2022
- Arakoda (tafenoquine 100 mg) prescribing information: malaria prophylaxis schedule (same product as Kodatef)US Food and Drug Administration (DailyMed), Accessed November 2026
- Malaria control guidelineAU/NZNSW Health, January 2025
- Artesunate versus quinine for treatment of severe falciparum malaria (SEAQUAMAT)Lancet, 2005
- Last updated
- 14 November 2026
What changed
- 14 November 2026 Personal emails, About story and Australian-style copy