Where is Malaria Found?

QUESTION

Where is malaria found?

ANSWER

Malaria is found throughout the world’s tropical and sub-tropical areas, and mainly in Central and South America, Africa, Asia and the Indo-Pacific region. It is most common in tropical regions, where transmission occurs year-round; in sub-tropical and temperate areas, transmission may only occur during seasons that have appropriate climatic conditions. This includes sufficiently high temperature and water availability for the growth and development of the mosquito, which transmits the disease. The map below shows the estimated risk for malaria across the world, courtesy of the World Health Organisation.

To search an up-to-date malaria map by country, please visit the CDC Malaria Map application.

Map of estimated malaria risk (2010 data). Courtesy of WHO (http://www.who.int/en/)