Malaria is a non-contagious infectious disease caused by the protozoan plasmodium parasite, transmitted from an infected person to another by the bite of a female anopheles mosquito and widely distributed in endemic areas throughout the tropical and sub-tropical zones. Plasmodium is a protoctistan of the phylum Apicomplexa. Four species are parasitic in humans, all causing forms of malaria. The four species of plasmodia which infect man, Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium malarie, and Plasmodium ovale, all cause malaria although they provoke somewhat different symptoms.
Malaria has been recognized as one of the dangerous disease for over 2000 years. During the time of the Roman Empire, the swamps around Rome were a source of anopheline mosquitoes and the mal aria (Italian for bad air) was thought to be responsible for the disease. This gave malaria its name. It has been suggested that as the Roman Empire went into decline the available breeding areas for the mosquitoes increased, hastening the Empire's decline and fall.
Short Cut Links.
Environmental Links.
Symptoms.
Treatment.
Medicine For Malaria.
Control.
Effect on Local Community.
Statistic.
Role played by Media and Education.
Role played by Medical Community.
Role of Environmental Agencies.
Other Useful Links
NEMA Activities.
Press Report 1
Press Report 2
