essential malariology
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Date
2017
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جامعة الشيخ عبدالله البدري
Abstract
Recognizable descriptions of malaria were recorded in Chinese, Indian, Egyptian and
Mesopotamian texts as early as 5,000 years ago. Evidence from human DNA sequences shows
the effects of malaria to be far older still, influencing human evolution across tens of thousands
of years. It is no exaggeration to say that malaria has played a crucial role in human history,
determining the fates of armies and empires. Malaria brought down Alexander the Great and
saved Rome from Attila's hordes. Dubbed the 'King of Diseases' in the Vedas, its modern name
comes from the Italian peninsula, where mal'aria or 'bad air' was thought to cause the debilitating
paroxysmal tertian or quartan (three- or four-day) fevers and febrile deaths that ravaged the
populace every year for millennia. (1)
Malaria is a mosquito-borne disease caused by a parasite. People with malaria often experience
fever, chills, and flu-like illness. Left untreated, they may develop severe complications and die.
In 2015 an estimated 212 million cases of malaria occurred worldwide and 429,000 people died,
mostly children in the African Region. About 1,700 cases of malaria are diagnosed in the United
States each year. The vast majority of cases in the United States are in travelers and immigrants
returning from countries where malaria transmission occurs, many from sub-Saharan Africa and
South Asia. (2)
Malaria can occur if a mosquito infected with the Plasmodium parasite bites you. An infected
mother can also pass the disease to her baby at birth. This is known as congenital malaria.
Malaria is transmitted by blood, so it can also be transmitted through: