Almost half of the world's population lives in areas at risk of contracting malaria. Over 300 million people develop clinical cases of malaria each year, and one to three million of them die. Many of these are children living in sub-Saharan Africa.
Malaria is a disease that is transmitted by parasites conveyed via mosquitoes.
When the mosquito bites the human host, she injects the parasites along with her saliva. The parasites develop first in the human's liver cells, and then infect red blood cells. Unless appropriately treated, malaria can produce life-threatening complications including kidney failure and coma. He also is Director of the Tulane Center for Infectious Diseases. The story of AQ-13's development provides a vivid illustration of the ways in the facilities available at Tulane can contribute to basic science as well as the development of practical disease control strategies.