QUESTION How did malaria get its name? ANSWER The word "malaria" comes from Italian, "mala aria" which literally translates to "bad air". This came from the ancient association, traced back as far as the ancient Greeks and Romans, that the disease was associated with swampy, marshy areas where the air smelled bad. The mechanism of transmission was not known back then, nor did they … [Read more...]
Home / Archives for malaria etymology