Malária vs. paludismo
In the Portuguese language, malária and paludismo are complete synonyms referring to the exact same infectious disease transmitted by mosquitoes. The primary difference lies in their regional usage: malária is universal but dominant in Brazil, while paludismo is frequently used in Portugal and Portuguese-speaking African countries alongside the standard term.
Malária
B1This is the most common and internationally recognized term for the disease. It describes the infection caused by parasites of the Plasmodium species. It is the standard term used in Brazil for all contexts, from casual conversation to medical reports. The word comes from the Italian for bad air.
O turista contraiu malária durante a sua viagem à região amazônica.
(The tourist contracted malaria during his trip to the Amazon region.)
O uso de mosquiteiros é essencial para prevenir a malária.
(The use of mosquito nets is essential to prevent malaria.)
Os sintomas da malária incluem febre alta e calafrios intensos.
(The symptoms of malaria include high fever and intense chills.)
O Ministério da Saúde divulgou novos dados sobre a malária no Brasil.
(The Ministry of Health released new data regarding malaria in Brazil.)
Paludismo
B2This term is synonymous with the first word but is derived from the Latin word for swamp or marsh. It is widely used in Portugal, Angola, Mozambique, and Cape Verde. While a Brazilian will understand the word, they rarely use it. It reflects the historical association of the disease with stagnant waters.
Em Angola, o combate ao paludismo é uma prioridade nacional.
(In Angola, the fight against malaria is a national priority.)
O médico especialista em doenças tropicais diagnosticou o paciente com paludismo.
(The doctor specializing in tropical diseases diagnosed the patient with malaria.)
Historicamente, o paludismo era muito comum nas zonas húmidas de Portugal.
(Historically, malaria was very common in the wetlands of Portugal.)
A vacina contra o paludismo representa um avanço científico importante.
(The vaccine against malaria represents an important scientific breakthrough.)
Summary
To summarize, use malária if you are speaking to Brazilians or reading international scientific papers. You may use paludismo interchangeably with malária when communicating with people from Portugal or Africa. Both words mean exactly the same thing medically.