Malaria

Reportable by Providers and Laboratories

About this Reportable Disease

Infectious agent: Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium ovale, Plasmodium malariae, and, less commonly, Plasmodium knowlesi.

Description of illness: Malaria is a serious and sometimes fatal disease caused by Plasmodium parasites. Four types of malaria parasites commonly infect humans: P. falciparum, P. vivax, P. ovale, and P. malariae. Of these, P. falciparum is most likely to result in severe illness, while P. Vivax and P. ovale can cause relapsing malaria. The parasites are transmitted by Anopheles mosquitoes. Malaria is not transmitted person to person through contact, although it can be transmitted through blood or organs from an infected donor or from a pregnant woman to her infant. Symptoms usually begin 1 to 4 weeks after infection and typically include high fevers, shaking chills, and flu-like illness. Anemia and jaundice may also occur. If not promptly treated, the infection can cause kidney failure, seizures, confusion, coma, and death.

Interactive Disease Data

Laboratory Reporting for this Disease

Blood Parasite

TEST NAME	Blood parasite
DISEASE/DISORDER
ALTERNATE NAMES
METHODOLOGY	Morphology and/or PCR
SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS	None
ORDERING INFORMATION	Lab Web Portal

Specimen Requirements

Patient Preparation	None
Specimen Collection	Giesma stained Thick and Thin Smears *AND* EDTA blood, 3 - 5 mL
Specimen Labeling	Specimen must be labeled with at least two unique patient identifiers and match accompanying PH-4182 Clinical Submission Requisition.
Specimen Processing	Prepare Thick and Thin Smears and stain with Giesma stain prior to shipment.
Specimen Storage and Preservation	Store EDTA specimens at 2 - 8°C prior to shipment.
Specimen Transportation	Place slides in plastic or cardboard slide holder before packing for shipping. Ship specimens at 2 - 8°C. All infectious substance shipments must conform to U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR 49 C.F.R. Parts 171-180).
Specimen Acceptability and Rejection	Acceptable criteria for specimen testing: - Thick and thin blood smears must be sent and examined for the presence of malaria. If species level determination cannot be made based upon morphological characteristics, malaria PCR will be performed. - From a patient with a febrile illness who is strongly suspected of having malaria (regardless of blood smear result) or a species that cannot be determined after careful examination. - From donors to a patient who developed malaria following blood transfusion. - If Ebola is suspected, it should be ruled out before being sent for malaria testing. Unsatisfactory specimens include, but may not be limited to: - Specimen was broken or leaked in transit - The incorrect preservative was used - The specimen was greater than four (4) months old, if PCR testing is required. - Specimen is not indentified properly (i.e. information does not match the accompanying requisition) - Insufficient amount of specimen submitted for testing
Testing Location	Nashville

Laboratory Reporting

Reporting requirements apply to all laboratories located within Tennessee, as well as laboratories outside of Tennessee that test residents of Tennessee, including laboratories located within healthcare facilities. Healthcare providers and laboratories in the same healthcare facility both have a duty to report. The type of organisms and analytes laboratories must report to TDH for 2026 are indicated, and there are several ways laboratories can report results to TDH.

Manually report results to TDH by faxing or mailing a completed PH-1600 form to your local health department, or faxing to the state health office at (615) 741-3857
Automatically submit results to TDH via electronic laboratory reporting (ELR), which automates the process of sharing data with TDH using interoperability standards.
- See the ELR Onboarding Handbook for details on the onboarding process, checklist, frequently asked questions, business rules, message format, and vocabulary.
- To initiate the ELR onboarding process with TDH, register in the Trading Partner Registration (TPR) system TPR provides documentation for Promoting Interoperability (PI) attestation and milestone letters to document onboarding progress. Contact MU.Health@tn.gov for assistance.
Submit online via NBS. NBS is TDH's reportable disease system. To request an NBS account for reporting Complete this user survey to request an NBS account for reporting.
Blood lead levels can be sent via fax ( (615) 741-3857), entered online, or reported using the instructions at this link.

Information about this Reportable Disease for Healthcare Providers

Clinical Summary

Malaria is a mosquito-borne parasitic infection caused by Plasmodium species; it can be severe and potentially fatal, especially with Plasmodium falciparum. Consider malaria in any febrile patient with travel to a malaria-endemic area in the weeks to months before illness.
Classic symptoms include fever (often cyclic), chills, sweats, headache, myalgias, malaise, and sometimes GI symptoms; severity ranges from mild illness to severe malaria with complications (e.g., altered mental status, severe anemia, respiratory distress).
Diagnosis must be confirmed by laboratory testing (e.g., blood smear microscopy and/or rapid diagnostic testing) and should be obtained urgently; if initial smears are negative but suspicion remains, repeat testing is needed per guidance.
Treat immediately once diagnosed. Regimen selection depends on Plasmodium species, clinical severity (uncomplicated vs severe), and likely drug resistance based on travel region.
Malaria is a reportable condition in Tennessee; coordinate reporting and any public health follow-up per TDH guidance.

Clinical Links & Info

Clinical information about this disease | CDC

Guidance for Healthcare Providers | CDC

Review the case definition | CDC

Healthcare Provider Reporting

Healthcare reporting requirements apply to all providers located within Tennessee, as well as providers whose patients reside in Tennessee.

Providers must report cases of all diseases and conditions listed through one of these methods:

• Mail or fax a completed PH-1600 form to your local health department or fax to the state health office at (615) 741-3857

• Send automatically via electronic case reporting (eCR). See this TDH webpage for more information on eCR, register at the Trader Partner Registration website, or contact MU.Health@tn.gov for assistance.

• Submit online via NBS. NBS is TDH's reportable disease system. To request an NBS account for reporting Complete this user survey to request an NBS account for reporting.

• Blood lead levels can be sent via fax ( (615) 741-3857), entered online, or reported using the instructions at this link.

Information about this Reportable Disease for the Public

What It Is

Malaria is an illness caused by parasites (Plasmodium) that are spread to people through the bite of infected Anopheles mosquitoes.

Signs and Symptoms

Symptoms can range from mild to severe and can include fever, chills, sweats, headache, muscle aches, and fatigue, sometimes with nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea. Malaria can become life-threatening without prompt treatment.

How It Spreads

Malaria is usually spread by the bite of an infected mosquito. It does not spread through casual person-to-person contact.

Diagnosis and Treatment

Malaria is diagnosed with blood tests. It is curable when diagnosed and treated quickly and correctly with prescription antimalarial medicines.

Prevention (Especially for Travelers)

If you travel to places where malaria occurs, prevention may include avoiding mosquito bites and taking prescription medicines to prevent malaria. Prevention recommendations vary by destination.

This Page Last Updated: March 25, 2026 at 8:53 PM