WHAT IS MALARIA?
Malaria is a life-threatening disease. It’s typically transmitted through the bite of an infected Anopheles mosquito.
- Malaria is found in more than 100 countries mainly in in tropical and subtropical regions of the world, including:
- large areas of Africa and Asia.
- Central and South America.
- Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
- parts of the Middle East.
- some Pacific islands.
- Congenital malaria occurs when a mother with malaria passes on the disease to her baby at birth.
- Malaria is a life-threatening disease. It’s typically transmitted through the bite of an infected Anopheles mosquito. Infected mosquitoes carry the Plasmodium parasite. When this mosquito bites you, the parasite is released into your bloodstream.
Once the parasites are inside your body, they travel to the liver, where they mature. After several days, the mature parasites enter the bloodstream and begin to infect red blood cells. Within 48 to 72 hours, the parasites inside the red blood cells multiply, causing the infected cells to burst open. The parasites continue to infect new red blood cells every 2-3 days. It is this stage that causes the symptoms typical of malaria infection such as fever, sweating, chills, headache and nausea.
Vaccination is the key to shifting the fight against malaria from sustained control to eradication.
Malaria Vaccine Project 