Malaria is a tropical disease caused by the presence of a parasite (known as the spore) in the liver, bone marrow, spleen, lymph nodes, and red blood cells in humans. ¹⁾

Symptoms of malaria can include chills, high temperature, and accelerated heartbeat. ²⁾

Plasmodium parasites cause the disease. The parasites are transmitted to humans through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes, known as “malaria vectors.” There are 5 species of parasites that cause malaria in humans, and 2 of them - P. falciparum and P. vivax - pose the greatest threat. ³⁾

According to a WHO (World Health Organization) report on malaria, 229 million malaria cases were reported worldwide in 2019. There were 409 thousand of deaths due to the disease. In 2018, it was 228 million and 405 thousand, respectively, while in 2017 it was 231 million and 416 thousand. ⁴⁾

Figures for 2020 show 384,000 malaria deaths in Africa. The African region continues to account for a disproportionate share of the global malaria burden. Africa accounts for 94 percent of all cases and deaths. ⁵⁾

Malaria is caused by parasites of the genus Plasmodium. The intermediate host for them is mosquitoes, mainly forkbeards, which is why most cases of malaria are recorded in latitudes where this type of insect is found. A person becomes infected precisely from the intermediate host - the bite of a mosquito, which previously drank the blood of an infected person. It is in the mosquito's body that the parasites are differentiated and fertilized, which enter the human bloodstream in the saliva of the forehead. ⁶⁾

Anopheles mosquitoes lay eggs in water, then hatch into larvae, eventually emerging as, adult mosquitoes. Each species of Anopheles mosquito has its own preferred aquatic habitat, for example, some prefer small, shallow ponds of fresh water, such as puddles and hoof prints, which are abundant during the rainy season in tropical countries. ⁷⁾

Additional symptoms of malaria can include shortness of breath, muscle aches, back pains, and impaired consciousness. In diarrhea, the patient's body is gradually devastated. Also, depending on which type of spore a person has been infected with, i.e. depending on the length of its sexual development in the liver cells, spleen and blood cells of an infected person, attacks of chills and fever occur, for example, every 3 or 4 days. ⁸⁾

Certain population groups are much more likely to contract malaria. These include infants, children under the age of 5, pregnant women, HIV/AIDS patients, non-susceptible immigrants, mobile populations, and travelers. ⁹⁾