Malaria afflicted 515 million people in 2002, according to figures reported in the science journal Nature, up from World Health Organization estimates of 273 million cases in 1998. The majority of cases are contracted in sub-Saharan Africa, though nearly a quarter of cases occurred in the Western Pacific and Southeast Asia.
Professor Bob Snow of a medical research center in Nairobi, Kenya, called the number of cases “quite substantial,” according to Reuters. “We have taken a conservative approach to estimating how many attacks occur globally each year but even so the problem is far bigger than we previously thought,” said Snow.
People can become infected with malaria when bitten by a certain type of mosquito infected with the malaria parasite. In rare cases, people can get malaria if they come into contact with infected blood or a fetus may get the disease from its mother. After being bitten by an infected mosquito, the parasite infects human liver and red blood cells. Most malaria infections cause flulike symptoms (such as high fever, chills, muscle pain, diarrhea) that come and go in cycles as the disease progresses. One type of malaria may cause more serious problems, including heart, lung, kidney, or brain damage and possibly death. (Source: WebMD.)
Snow and his colleagues used epidemiological data, studies, demographic information and data from satellites to pinpoint areas where the disease is most prevalent. The research suggests that 2.2 billion people are at risk of malaria. Although the scientists did not estimate deaths from the disease, the risk of severe life-threatening complications is about 10 times higher in Africa than in southeast Asia and the western Pacific.
Nathan Novak at 3:30 pm
The author of Cheap Travel Advice journal was striken by Malaria while in Africa. Read about his first hand accounts and how to avoid it at Cheap Travel Advice Africa.
(On a totally personal note, I’ve had the flu before but it wsa nothing like Malaria. Then I came back to snow storms in Boston with the heat off!)
Comment by Chris Hart — March 10, 2005 @ 4:48 pm
I’m a travel author and I was struck by Malaria while in Africa. Read about my first hand accounts and some tips on how to avoid it at Cheap Travel Advice Africa.
(I’ve had the flu before but it was nothing like Malaria. Then I came back to snow storms in Boston and my furnace was broken! Talk about contrasts)
Comment by Chris Hart's Cheap Travel Advice Africa — March 10, 2005 @ 4:51 pm
I am a former WW 2 Marine combat veteran. I was hospitalized on Okinowa with Malaria after the Island had been secured;I had 105 degree temperature. Am I still subject to any of the problems mentioned in this article. I was awarded 10% disability when Honorably discharged. However, I no longer receive any compensation and the DAV said they couldn’t help me. Sincerely, G. T. McDaniel
Comment by Glynn Thomas McDaniel — March 10, 2005 @ 5:18 pm
I wouldn’t want to be someone who gets malaria
Comment by Danni — March 12, 2005 @ 9:49 am