What exactly is Malaria?
Malaria is a common and serious tropical disease. It is a protozoal infection transmitted to human beings by mosquitos biting mainly between sunset and sunrise. Human malaria is caused by four species of Plasmodium protozoa: Plasmodium falciparum, P.vivax, P. ovale and P.malariae. Malaria is a public health problem in over 100 countries worldwide, inhabited by some 40% of the world population, i.e. over 2 billion people. It has been estimated that the incidence of malaria in the world may be in the order of 300 million clinical cases each year. Countries in tropical Africa account for more than 90% of these. Malaria mortality is estimated at almost 1 million deaths worldwide per year. The vast number of malaria deaths occur among young children in Africa, especially in remote rural areas with poor access to health services. Other high risk groups include women during pregnancy, and non- immune travellers, refugees, displaced persons, or labour forces entering into endemic areas.
