The disease is found in tropical to subtropical regions, infecting human red blood cells. Symptoms of malignant tertian malaria include anemia along with chills and fever alternating at 48 hour intervals. In some cases the disease progresses to cerebral malaria, which always results in death. This is due to an accumulation of red blood cells in the brain. The blood cells accumulate upon each other due to small knobs formed on the red blood cells' surface causing them to catch on each other and get stuck.
Malaria is a major public health concern.
It afflicts 300 million people annually, one million of which die. The hardest hit are African children. Control of malaria is difficult due to its complex life cycle. Vaccine development is a major priority in combating malaria, but as of yet, no effective vaccine exists. The only real means of control target the mosquito.