FAITH LAPIDUS: Most cases of malaria are in African countries, south of one of the world’s biggest deserts – The Sahara. The World Health Organization says the disease is responsible for one in five childhood deaths there. Malaria kills about two hundred thousand children in Africa every year, an average of one every thirty seconds.
Malaria is also a threat to people living in parts of Asia, Central and South America, the Middle East, and southeastern Europe. People from malaria-free countries who visit areas with high rates of malaria are also very much at risk. This is because their bodies have little or no resistance to the disease.
CDC The Plasmodium parasite, center, among blood cells
BOB DOUGHTY: The cause of malaria is a parasite called Plasmodium. Mosquitoes infected with Plasmodium spread the disease to human beings through mosquito bites. The parasites reproduce in the human liver, and then infect the red blood cells. After they enter the blood cells, they reproduce again. As they do this, they destroy the cells.
Signs of the disease appear in victims ten to fifteen days after they are bitten. People with malaria develop a high body temperature. They also can become weak, expel material from the stomach, and suffer pain in the head or muscles. If not treated, malaria can make the victim very sick and even cause death.
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FAITH LAPIDUS: Late last year, researchers in the United States met to discuss developments in malaria research. One sign of hope is a new way to make the natural defenses of mosquitoes resistant to the Plasmodium parasite.
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2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25