What is the Difference Between Malaria Fever and HIV Fever

A fever is the body’s natural response to infection, resulting in a higher-than-normal body temperature. It can occur due to various reasons, including viral or bacterial infections, heat exhaustion, certain inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, the presence of a cancerous tumor, certain medications like antibiotics, and some vaccines such as diphtheria, tetanus, acellular pertussis, pneumococcal, or COVID vaccine. In adults, a temperature higher than 100.4 °F is typically considered indicative of fever. Malaria fever and HIV fever are two distinct types of fever.

The difference between malaria fever and HIV fever is their cause. Malaria is a fever caused by the infection of a parasite called Plasmodium, while HIV is a fever caused by an infection of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) virus.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Malaria Fever 
3. What is HIV Fever
4. Similarities Between Malaria Fever and HIV Fever
5. Malaria Fever vs HIV Fever in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Malaria Fever vs HIV Fever
7. FAQ – Malaria Fever and HIV Fever

What is Malaria Fever?

Malaria is a fever caused by the infection of the parasite called Plasmodium falciparum via a mosquito.  The symptoms of this disease usually appear within two weeks (10 to 14) from the day of infection. The malarial fever symptoms may include feeling very tired, difficulty breathing, nausea and vomiting, increased bowel movements, cough, abdominal pain, joint pain, bloody urine, seizures, and yellow discolouration of eyes and skin. The risk factors for the malarial disease may include staying near old ponds and lakes and visiting unhygienic localities and mosquito-prone areas.

Malarial fever symptoms can be diagnosed through microscopy, rapid diagnostic tests, and serology. Furthermore, treatment options for malaria fever may include giving antipyretic medications and synthetic forms of quinine (aminoquinolines).

What is HIV Fever?

HIV fever is a type of fever contracted after 2 to 4 weeks of getting HIV infection. The signs and symptoms of HIV fever may include chills, fatigue, muscle aches, night sweats, rashes, sore throat, swollen lymph nodes, and ulcers in the mouth. The risk factors for HIV disease are the use of alcohol or drugs before sex, not using an HIV prevention method during sex, sex with multiple partners, male-male sex, and sharing needles, syringes, or other drug injection equipment.

HIV fever symptoms can be diagnosed through physical symptoms evaluation, antibody tests, antigen tests, and nucleic acid tests. Furthermore, researchers have not established a cure for HIV. However, antiretroviral therapy uses a combination of HIV medications to keep the virus from replicating.

Similarities Between Malaria Fever and HIV Fever

1. Malaria fever and HIV fever are two different types of fever.
2. Both may cause complications if not treated.
3. Both can be diagnosed through physical symptoms evaluation and blood tests.
4. They can be treated through specific medications and therapies.

Difference Between Malaria Fever and HIV Fever

Definition

a. Malaria is a fever symptom caused due to an infection by a Plasmodium infetcted malarial vector.
b. HIV fever is a type of fever contracted after 2 to 4 weeks of getting HIV infection.

Causative Agent

1. Malaria fever is caused by Plasmodium falciparum parasites.
2. HIV fever is caused by the HIV virus.

Vector Mosquito

1. The involvement of a vector mosquito is specific to malaria fever, where transmission occurs through the bite of an infected mosquito.
2. In contrast, HIV fever does not involve a vector mosquito for transmission.

Signs and Symptoms

1. Malaria fever symptoms include feeling very tired, difficulty breathing, nausea and vomiting, increased bowel movements, cough, abdominal pain, joint pain, bloody urine, seizures, and yellow discoloration of eyes and skin.
2. On the other hand, HIV fever is characterized by chills, fatigue, muscle aches, night sweats, rashes, sore throat, swollen lymph nodes, and ulcers in the mouth.

Risk Factors

1. For malaria fever, risks include staying near old ponds and lakes, visiting unhygienic localities, and residing in mosquito-prone areas.
2. In contrast, risk factors for HIV fever involve behaviors such as alcohol or drug use before sex, engaging in unprotected sex, having multiple sexual partners, engaging in male-male sex, and sharing needles or drug injection equipment.

Transmission

1. Malaria fever is not directly transmitted from person to person.
2. HIV fever is transmissible through various means, such as unprotected sexual intercourse, sharing needles, or from mother to child during pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding.

Transmission

1. Malaria fever is typically treated with antipyretic medications to reduce fever and synthetic forms of quinine, such as aminoquinolines.
2. HIV fever, on the other hand, is managed with antiretroviral therapy, which involves a combination of medications aimed at suppressing HIV replication and managing symptoms.

The infographic below presents the differences between malaria fever and HIV fever in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.

Summary – Malaria Fever vs HIV Fever

Malaria fever and HIV fever are two different types of fever. Malaria fever occurs within two weeks from the day of infection by a mosquito with Plasmodium parasite. HIV fever occurs within two to four weeks from the day of infection by the HIV virus. This summarizes the difference between malaria fever and HIV fever.

FAQ: Malaria Fever and HIV Fever

1. What type of fever is malaria?

The febrile response in malaria is caused by the rupture of mature schizonts. In P vivax and P ovale-induced malaria, the schizonts mature every 48 hours, so the periodicity of fever is tertian while in P. malariae, the fever occurs every 72 hours, so the periodicity of fever is quartan.

2. What are the symptoms of malaria?

Fever, chills, general feeling of discomfort, headache, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and muscle or joint pain are the symptoms of malaria fever.

3. What does HIV fever feel like?

When people have an HIV fever, the body temperature increases above a normal range and often results in sweating, chills, and shivering. This fever is often accompanied by other mild symptoms, such as fatigue, swollen lymph glands, and a sore throat.

4. How do HIV symptoms start?

Most people infected with HIV experience a short, flu-like acute illness that occurs 2-6 weeks after the first infection. After this, the HIV virus may not cause any symptoms for several years. It is estimated up to 80 % of people who are infected with the HIV virus have this flu-like illness.

5. How long do HIV symptoms last?

The signs and symptoms of acute HIV infection can begin a few days (usually last for about 14 days) after people are exposed to HIV. They could last for just a few days, or they could last for several months.

Reference:

1. “Malaria – about Malaria – Disease.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
2. “HIV and AIDS.” World Health Organization, World Health Organization.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Malaria fever” By Brady8 – Own work (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “HIV infection and AIDS: the clinical disease.” By Community Eye Health (CC BY-NC 2.0 DEED) via Flickr