Malaria – Transcript
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. Symptoms usually begin ten to fifteen days after being bitten by an infected mosquito. If not properly treated, people may have recurrences of the disease months later. In those who have recently survived an infection, reinfection usually causes milder symptoms.
The disease is widespread in the tropical and subtropical regions that exist in a broad band around the equator. This includes much of sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, and Latin America. In 2020 there were 241 million cases of malaria worldwide resulting in an estimated 627,000 deaths.
The risk of disease can be reduced by preventing mosquito bites through the use of mosquito nets and insect repellents. Several medications are available to prevent malaria for people in areas where the disease is common. As of 2020, there is one vaccine which has been shown to reduce the risk of malaria by about 40% in children in Africa. Efforts to develop more effective vaccines are ongoing.
