World Malaria Day 2025: Know how malaria can affect your heart

World Malaria Day 2025: Malaria has lesser-known known complications beyond high fever and chills. Here's how it can put your heart at risk.

World Malaria Day 2025: Malaria is typically associated with high fever, muscle aches, chills, nausea and vomiting. But it can rapidly escalate into life threatening situation as it has the potential to affect integral systems like cardiovascular health.

Malaria affects heart health. (Shutterstock)

World Malaria Day 2025 theme

World Malaria Day, observed annually on April 25, marks this year’s theme as ‘Malaria Ends With Us: Reinvest, Reimagine, Reignite.’ As per the WHO, the 2025 campaign urges accelerated progress and collective efforts towards eliminating malaria, promoting increased resources and innovative strategies to treat the disease more effectively. The elimination of malaria also requires a community intervention, making malaria a shared responsibility, as the theme encouraged to ‘reignite’.

How does malaria affect heart?

Malaria is a life-threatening disease caused by Plasmodium parasites that are transmitted to people through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes. (AP)

Dr Bipeenchandra Bhamre, Consultant Cardiac Surgeon at Sir H. N. Reliance Foundation Hospital and Research Centre in Mumbai, explained how malaria can escalate and become life-threatening, affecting the heart drastically.

He said," Those with malaria can experience fever that can range from medium to high, sweating, chills, headaches, nausea, and feeling extremely tired even after taking enough rest. Mostly, people only focus on the immediate symptoms it causes, but malaria can also lead to severe complications that can be fatal if overlooked or left untreated. In severe cases, the infection travels rapidly through your body, and it can damage vital organs like the liver, brain, and kidneys. Did you know malaria can harm your heart? This particular infection can trigger inflammation, disrupt normal blood circulation, and lead to cardiovascular stress. People with existing heart conditions, high blood pressure, or anaemia should be cautious, as they are at higher risk of experiencing heart-related complications due to malaria."

Dr Bipeenchandra Bhamre further shared this guide on how malaria affects cardiovascular health:

• It can increase the risk of blood clot formation. This makes your blood thicker while raising the risk of blockages in the arteries. This can further lead to a heart attack or stroke.
• Malaria can trigger inflammation in the blood vessels, reducing their flexibility. This can make it harder for the blood to flow efficiently.
• In severe cases, malaria can destroy red blood cells, resulting in anaemia. This forces your heart to pump harder than usual to supply sufficient oxygen throughout the body, while increasing the risk of heart failure.
• Malaria can cause a sudden drop in your blood pressure levels that can reduce the blood flow to important organs, including the heart. The excessive strain on your cardiovascular system can lead to arrhythmias (irregular heartbeats), which may cause palpitations, dizziness, or even more severe complications. This is why it becomes crucial to prioritise your health and immediately consult a doctor if you experience malaria-like symptoms.

This makes it all the more important to understand why prevention is better than a cure. Especially during the malaria season, one needs to be cautious and stay protected to avoid mosquito bites. It shows how deadly a mosquito bite can be, setting off a chain reaction and affecting all the integral systems in your body, making it life-threatening.

Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.