Attacks can last as long as 36 hours and may kill the patient. They can also cause cerebral malaria, particularly in children, resulting in convulsions, coma, and death. Malaria probably originated in Africa. Fossils of mosquitoes 30 millions years old show that the vector for malaria was present well before the earliest history of man. Early travelers likely brought strains of Plasmodium from Africa to the New World, a phenomenon that continues to this day as tourists bring malaria home from areas in which the disease is endemic.
Malaria is one of the leading cause of death in young children and pregnant women in tropical areas.
Some 300 to 500 million cases of malaria are reported each year, resulting in almost 3 million deaths worldwide. The disease kills about 2,800 children a day in Africa, usually before they are old enough to build up any immunity. Pregnant women appear to be particularly susceptible to infection and infected mothers have low birthweight babies who have an increased risk of dying. Malaria remains a potential health threat in more than 90 countries around the world. But it wasn't until almost the dawn of the 20th century that scientists discovered that malaria was caused by a parasite transmitted to humans through the bite of the female Anopheles mosquito.