This paper provides an overview of malaria as a serious and potentially fatal parasitic disease transmitted through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes. It describes the biological life cycle of the malaria parasite in both human and mosquito hosts, outlines the global distribution of the disease with particular attention to sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, and identifies the populations most at risk, including young children and pregnant women. The paper also examines the role of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in supporting international malaria control programs, including Roll Back Malaria initiatives and research partnerships aimed at reducing transmission and improving case management worldwide.
Malaria is a severe and often deadly disease caused by a parasite that frequently infects a particular species of mosquito, which then feeds on humans. Those who contract malaria typically experience high fever, severe chills, and flu-like symptoms. Although malaria can be fatal, illness and death from the disease can generally be prevented. Approximately 1,500 cases of malaria are identified in the United States every year. The majority of these domestic cases occur in travelers and immigrants arriving from regions where malaria transmission is high. A large proportion come from sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia (Malaria, 2010).
The natural biology of malaria involves malaria parasites successively infecting two types of hosts — humans and female Anopheles mosquitoes. In humans, the parasites mature and multiply first in liver cells and subsequently in red blood cells. Successive generations of parasites develop within the red blood cells and destroy them, releasing daughter parasites that continue the cycle by invading new red blood cells. It is the blood-stage parasites that produce the clinical signs of malaria.
When certain forms of blood-stage parasites are taken up by a female Anopheles mosquito during a blood meal, they begin an additional phase of growth and reproduction within the mosquito. After approximately 10 to 18 days, the parasites are present in the mosquito's salivary glands. When the Anopheles mosquito feeds on another person, sporozoites are injected along with the mosquito's saliva, initiating a new infection as they invade liver cells. In this way, the mosquito transmits the disease from one person to another. Unlike the human host, the mosquito does not suffer from the presence of the parasites (Malaria, 2010).
In 2008, approximately 863,000 people died from malaria, the majority of whom were young children in sub-Saharan Africa. Over the previous decade, an increasing number of partners and resources have significantly improved malaria control efforts, and there is hope that malaria will eventually be eliminated. The CDC contributes its scientific expertise to support these efforts through collaborative work in many malaria-endemic regions.
Malaria typically occurs in impoverished tropical and subtropical regions around the world, where it is a leading cause of illness and death. In areas with high transmission rates, the most vulnerable populations are young children — who have not yet developed immunity to malaria — and pregnant women, whose immunity is often diminished during pregnancy. The economic and human costs of malaria to all affected parties are substantial (Malaria, 2010).
"Where and how malaria spreads globally"
"Why Africa faces unique malaria control difficulties"
"CDC programs supporting global malaria elimination"
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