Malaria is a major health problem in Benin, where the entire population lives in areas with malaria transmission. Malaria is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among children under five, accounting for 44 percent of outpatient visits and 40 percent of all hospitalizations. The President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) Benin is one of the 15 original countries benefiting from PMI, which was … [Read more...]
Sanaria Wins $3M Grant for Development of Malaria Vaccine
Sanaria has won a three-year, $3 million phase 2 Small Business Research Innovation grant from the National Institutes of Health to further develop its malaria vaccine. The money will support research by scientists at the Rockville company and its partner, Columbia University, according to Sanaria information. The new grant continues earlier NIH-supported efforts at Sanaria and Columbia to … [Read more...]
In Agartala, India, Malaria Claims More Soldiers Than Bullets Do
Agartala, Indi -- Malaria poses a bigger threat than insurgents and smugglers to Border Security Force (BSF) men posted along India's northeastern border with Bangladesh, with many dying of the disease every year, say security officials. "On an average, five to six BSF personnel died of malaria every year on the Tripura border alone. No one was killed by insurgents during the past three years," … [Read more...]
Malaria Control with Transgenic Mosquitoes
Malaria has been eliminated from a large part of the world. By the mid-twentieth century both North America and Europe were free of the disease, although both had suffered greatly during the prior century [1,2]. While a variety of means were used to achieve this eradication, the most important are thought to be reducing the number of breeding sites for malaria vectors and improving residential … [Read more...]
Priorities in Malaria Research
Malaria remains a challenging prospect for researchers and health workers, but there is encouraging news to report. Malaria research, after many years on the back burner, has risen dramatically up the priority list of donors and policy makers. Much of the credit for this turnaround must go to the Multilateral Initiative on Malaria (MIM; http://www.mim.su.se). MIM's achievements in the … [Read more...]
Use of Integrated Malaria Management Reduces Malaria in Kenya
During an entomological survey in preparation for malaria control interventions in Mwea division, the number of malaria cases at the Kimbimbi sub-district hospital was in a steady decline. The underlying factors for this reduction were unknown and needed to be identified before any malaria intervention tools were deployed in the area. We therefore set out to investigate the potential factors … [Read more...]
Malaria FAQ
Malaria is a serious and sometimes fatal disease caused by a parasite that infects a certain type of mosquito which feeds on humans. People who get malaria are typically very sick with high fevers, shaking chills, and flu-like illness. Five kinds of malaria parasites cause malaria in humans: Plasmodium falciparum, P. vivax, P. ovale, P. malariae, and P. knowlesi. Infection with P. falciparum, if … [Read more...]
The History of Malaria
Malaria or a disease resembling malaria has been noted for more than 4,000 years. From the Italian for "bad air," mal'aria has probably influenced to a great extent human populations and human history. … [Read more...]
Malaria Symptoms and Causes
Malaria is caused by a parasite called Plasmodium, which is transmitted via the bites of infected mosquitoes. In the human body, the parasites multiply in the liver, and then infect red blood cells. Usually, people get malaria by being bitten by an infective female Anopheles mosquito. … [Read more...]
Interview with Peter Agre, Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute Director
Peter Agre is director of the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute, which celebrates its 10th birthday this year. Before turning his focus to malaria, Agre won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2003 for his discovery of aquaporins, water channels in cell membranes. Agre spends a third of his year in regions of the world where malaria is endemic, mostly in Zimbabwe and rural Zambia, but he has … [Read more...]