World Malaria Day, April 25, 2015 – Malaria is a public health problem in over 100 countries, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. According to estimates provided by the World Health Organisation (WHO), due to efforts made to control malaria, over 4.3 million lives have been saved between 2001 and 2013, reducing the mortality rate of the disease by 47% globally and 54% in Africa, between 2000 and 2013.

 

Malaria is an infectious disease caused by the parasitic protozoa "Plasmodium Malariae”. This disease is transmitted mainly by bite of the infected mosquitoes of the genus' Anopheles, meaning useless in Greek. There are over 400 of these species recognised, while approximately 100 are known to cause malaria. These mosquitos show greater activity from dusk till dawn laying 50-200 eggs per oviposition singly and directly on water. 

 

The clinical picture of the disease varies from asymptomatic (in individuals from endemic countries that were ill previously and develop partial immunity to disease) to severe illness and death. Symptoms of the disease (paroxysmal intense chills, high fever, sweating, malaise, headache and myalgia) usually appear one to four weeks after infection, and can even have a long-term effect of frequent relapses up to five years after. Travellers from non-endemic countries are not immune to malaria and are very vulnerable to the disease when infected. Each year, approximately 500 million people will be infected with malaria worldwide. Of those infected, roughly two million will die from the disease.

 

Malaria is curable and is treated effectively by using special classes of antimalarials. If diagnosed early accompanied by sufficient treatment, malaria can be completely removed from the body.