The Disease
Mosquitoes, those pesky insects that feed on human blood, are more than just a nuisance; they also carry the parasite that causes malaria – passing it on through their night-time bites.
Symptoms include fever, shivering, vomiting and other flu-like symptoms. If not treated malaria can be deadly; early, accurate diagnosis and treatment is key.
You can’t get malaria from casual contact with someone who’s infected. It’s not contagious and can’t be transmitted sexually. Malaria is preventable and treatable, but it can be deadly. Worldwide, malaria causes around 225 million illnesses and 781,000 deaths annually.
Half the world’s population is at risk of malaria. It is particularly deadly in Sub-Saharan Africa, where a mosquito-friendly climate and frequently poor prevention and treatment coverage has made it one of the biggest killers of young children.
Travelling abroad? Make sure you know if you need to protect yourself and how.
Find out more:
Did you know? The transmission of malaria by mosquitoes was first discovered by British Doctor, Sir Ronald Ross when he was researching malaria in India, on 20 August 1897. This day is now known as World Mosquito Day. Dr Ross was awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1902 for his discovery and he continued to work on malaria prevention from the UK’s Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. His malaria research continues at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine’s Malaria Centre through Professors like David Schellenberg – one of our Malaria Policy Advisors
