- Malaria
is the most common and deadly parasitic disease in the world.
Malaria is an ancient disease. However, environmental disturbance,
malnutrition and the failure of drugs once used to control the
disease have conspired to make malaria as serious a problem
now as it was during the first half of the twentieth century.
In any given year, six to nine percent of the global population
[300-500 million cases annually] will suffer a case of malaria.
Most who fall ill survive after an illness of 10-20 days but
1-3% of those who contact P. falciparum do not and are
killed.
- Africa
is terribly affected, and accounts for over 90% of reported
cases of malaria. About 10% of hospital admissions are for malaria,
as are 20-30% of doctors' visits. As bad as that is, some experts
foresee as much as a 20% annual increase in Africa's rate of
malaria-related illness and death. No Western disease is nearly
so prevalent or growing at anything like that rate.
- Each
year, the world over, malaria destroys, through premature death
and disability the equivalent of at least 35 million years of
healthy, productive human life.
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