Africa, of course, has the wherewithal to take such a leadership position. However, we must readjust our priorities. It behooves us for instance to put pressure on our African government to divest parts of the military that wreak havoc on the continent into antimalarial research. We must, bear in mind that malaria is not a new disease. Malaria has always affected human development.
Ancient literature contains frequent references to fevers consistent with malaria symptoms.
Malaria predated humanity. Mosquito fossils, millions of years old proved malaria coexisted with human ancestors. Certain types of mosquitoes carry the malaria plasmodium, a microscopic one-celled protozoon that attacks red blood corpuscules of mammals for its own survival. So malaria has been in existence from the beginning of time. Animals such as lizards, birds, monkeys, and apes, suffer from mosquito bites and develop types of malaria.