What is malaria?
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Malaria is a globally important parasitic infectious disease transmitted between humans by mosquitoes.
In 2016, 216 million people worldwide were infected and over 400,000 people died from malaria, around 90% of whom were in sub-Saharan Africa; that’s one death every two minutes. This is a tragedy for a disease which is largely treatable.
Eliminating malaria is an international priority which doesn’t just save lives but contributes to key global Sustainable Development Goals.
The challenge of controlling malaria
Malaria is transmitted between humans by mosquitoes. Although there are five species of malaria that infect humans, most human disease is caused by just two, Plasmodium vivax and P. falciparum. Together they account for over 400,000 deaths every year, ninety per cent of which occur in Africa.
Significant international effort over the last 20 years means that this number is now around half of what it was in the year 2000. Although malaria transmission is influenced by a numb...
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