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Science Fact
Malaria Kills
Malaria, a disease that is both preventable and treatable, kills one person every 48 seconds. That adds up to more than half a million deaths worldwide every year.
Malaria is a disease caused by a parasite called Plasmodium. Transmitted by the bite of a mosquito, the parasite travels to the human liver, where it multiplies. It then enters the bloodstream, where it kills off red blood cells. The main symptoms of a malaria infection are chills, fever, and profuse sweating.
While a course of drugs can clear malaria up in about two weeks, too often the illness goes untreated, causing malaria to be the fifth leading cause of death from infectious disease worldwide. In Africa, malaria is second only to HIV among deadly infectious diseases.
Particularly rampant in poor, tropical nations, malarial deaths can be prevented by a combination of effective mosquito netting, insecticides, and prompt and effective medical treatment.
Here are some related resources:
- Malaria: blood, sweat, and tears (6-12)
- A Tour of Malaria: blood, sweat, and tears with author Adam Nadel (AAAS, 6-12)
- Germs Can Make You Sick (K-2)
- Germs and the Body (3-5)
- Sanitation and Human Health (6-8)
- Viruses/Infectious Diseases: What's Really Bugging You? (6-8)
- Your Health: The Science Inside (6-12)
- Parasites and Disease (National Geographic, 9-12)
