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Home / Malaria Q&A / What does the word “malaria” mean?

What does the word “malaria” mean?

September 7, 2011 By Malaria Q&A Leave a Comment

QUESTION:

Where does the name MALARIA come from?

ANSWER:

It comes from Medieval Italian, “mala aria,” meaning “bad air”, reflecting the early belief that bad-smelling air caused the disease. Indeed, bad-smelling air was also associated with swamps and marshes, which are perfect habitats for the breeding of malarial mosquitoes, so the people who came up with the association were actually on to something!

Filed Under: Malaria Q&A Tagged With: etymology of malaria, mala aria, marsh fever

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