Mortality due to malaria is estimated to be over 1 million deaths each year. The vast majority of deaths occur among young children in Africa, especially in remote rural areas with poor access to health services. Malaria epidemics related to political upheavals, economic difficulties and environmental problems also contribute in the most dramatic way to death tolls and human suffering. Symptoms Symptoms of malaria include fever, shivering, pain in the joints, headache, repeated vomiting, generalized convulsions and coma. If not treated, the disease progresses to severe malaria.
Severe malaria is associated with death.
Transmission Malaria is transmitted by Anopheline mosquitoes, the number and type of which determine the extent of transmission in a given area. Transmission of malaria is affected by climate and geography, and often coincides with the rainy season. Communities Affected More than any other disease, malaria hits the poor. Malaria endemic countries are some of the world's poorest. For the individual, costs include the price of treatment and prevention, and lost income.