Anthony Garcia

Geography 1000-017
Richard Brinton
Salt Lake Community College

Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by

a parasitic protozoan. Malaria is transmitted through a bite of an infected female anopheles
mosquito, the saliva of the mosquito is introduced into the blood of an individual then it travels
to the liver, matures, and reproduces. When an individual is infected with malaria symptoms
usually manifest about 8-25 days after the infection, symptoms include fever, fatigue, vomiting,
and headaches. In severe cases, malaria causes yellow skin, seizures, coma, or even death.
Malaria is commonly associated with poverty and has a major negative effect on economic
development. Malaria is widespread in tropical and subtropical regions that are present in a
broad band around the equator. The World health organization estimates that in 2012, there
were 207 million cases of malaria. That year the disease is estimated to have killed between
473,000 and 789,000 people, many of whom were children in Africa.
Malaria has been around for almost four thousand years in 2700 BC, several
characteristic symptoms of what would later be named malaria were described in the Nei
Ching, The Canon of Medicine. Malaria became widely recognized in Greece by the 4th century
BCE, and it was responsible for the decline of many of the city-state populations. Charles Louis
Alphonse Laveran, a French army surgeon stationed in Constantine, Algeria, was the first to
notice parasites in the blood of a patient suffering from malaria. This occurred on the 6th of
November 1880. For his discovery, Laveran was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1907
Climate change is likely to affect malaria transmission, but the severity and geographic
distribution of such effects is currently uncertain. The malaria parasites belong to the genus

Anthony Garcia
Geography 1000-017
Richard Brinton
Salt Lake Community College

plasmodium. In humans, malaria is caused by P. Falciparum, P. Malariae, P. OvaleP. Vivax and P.

Knowlesi. Among those infected P. Falciparum is the most common species identified.

In Africa, children are the most commonly infected with malaria. 483,000 children are
infected every year 90% of those individuals are children in Africa. That is 1,300 children a day
die due to a mosquito bite. Malaria keeps more kids out of school than any other disease which
accounts for 10 million missed school days every year. Malaria can also cause lasting learning
disabilities.
There are various charity organizations to help combat the spread and infection of
malaria. Against Malaria helps protect people from malaria by funding nets and ensures they are
distributed and used to fight malaria. Against Malaria shows you where the nets go and they
monitor and report their use and impact.
Since 2000 malaria mortality rates have fallen 51% among children under the age of 5. In
order to win the fight against malaria we must help Africa access resources and tools to fight
this disease. There are things that can help treat malaria, like timely diagnosis Artemisininbased combination therapies (ACTs) are the frontline treatment for malaria. A full course of lifesaving malaria treatment costs just $1 and cures a child in one to three days.

Anthony Garcia
Geography 1000-017
Richard Brinton
Salt Lake Community College

http://www.againstmalaria.com/?gclid=CLT_06qSiMICFZCVfgodep8Abw
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaria
https://www.malarianomore.org/