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MalariaMalaria is one of the deadliest diseases in human history. In 2024 alone, there were roughly 282 million cases and 610,000 deaths, most of which occurred in Africa. The disease is particularly lethal for young children. Its symptoms include fever, chills, seizures, and headaches.
It's caused by Plasmodium parasites and spreads through mosquito bites. This occurs when Anopheles mosquitoes bite an infected human and contract the parasite, the parasite develops in the gut of the mosquito, and the mosquito later bites another person—releasing the parasite into the bloodstream. Even after malaria treatment, infection can sometimes return because the Plasmodium parasite may not be completely eliminated.
Malaria prevention includes using insecticides to avoid bites and taking antimalarial drugs before traveling to malaria-endemic areas. Yet expanding mosquito ranges, growing insecticide resistance, and Plasmodium antimalarial resistance are ongoing challenges. Recently, malaria vaccines have been recommended by the World Health Organization for children living in malarial zones, but the multishot regimens have limited effectiveness. Genetically engineering mosquitoes to be malaria-resistant or infertile is an area researchers are investigating, alongside further vaccine development.Explore Malaria
What we've found
See the geographic spread and incidence of malariaThis graphic shows the estimated global burden of malaria in 2025 as new cases per 1000 people at risk. World Health OrganizationAntimalarials must be taken before traveling to a malaria-endemic areaMalaria prevention involves avoiding getting bitten by mosquitoes (with bug spray and clothing choices) and taking malaria preventative drugs before, during, and after spending time in an area with malaria risk. The drug must be in the blood before the traveler is exposed to malaria parasites. US Centers for Disease Control and PreventionFlorida reports 71 imported malaria cases annually—4% of all the US casesThe Sunshine State reports an average of 71 imported malaria cases annually. Malaria isn't endemic to Florida but mosquitoes in the state are biologically capable of transmitting the disease from one infected person to another noninfected person. University of Florida Emerging Pathogens InstituteMolecular evidence suggests the deadliest malaria parasite may be 100,000 years oldPlasmodium falciparum, the form of the parasite that kills the most humans, may date back 100,000 years, according to mitochondrial DNA analysis published in Science in 2003. It suggests that the parasite took off in humans about 10,000 years ago. Gates FoundationMalaria case in Maryland stumped doctors in 2023—leading to the wrong treatmentWhen the state had its first locally acquired malaria case in over 40 years, the patient was misdiagnosed with a more common tick-borne infection, leading to weeks-long treatment for the wrong infection. The patient had symptoms that could occur with malaria or with babesiosis, a disease caused by Babesia parasites and transmitted by ticks in the US. Ars Technica10 locally acquired malaria cases were reported in the US in 2023—a surpriseThe cases, reported in Florida, Texas, Maryland, and Arizona, broke a 20-year streak since there had been no reported locally acquired mosquito-transmitted malaria in the country since 2003, when there was a case in Florida. University of Minnesota There may be 500,000 additional malaria deaths by 2050Research published in the journal Nature in January 2026 estimates that by 2050, climate change may trigger more than half a million additional malaria deaths and over 100 million additional malaria cases. The work is based on climate change projections and available disease information and did not incorporate new vaccine uptake. Malaria Atlas ProjectFemale Anopheles mosquito bites are the primary way malaria spreadsFemales are the only ones that bite: They need blood to get essential nutrients for egg development. Very rarely, the disease is also spread via blood transfusions, organ transplants, shared needles, or from mother to fetus during pregnancy or birth. US Centers for Disease Control and PreventionChildren under 5 account for 76% of all malaria deaths in AfricaThe main hypothesis for why the disease hits this age group the hardest is that children this young have still-developing immune systems. Pregnant women and people with HIV/AIDS are also at higher risk of severe infection. World Health OrganizationUntreated malaria can lead to blocked blood vessels in the brain, coma, and organ failureMalaria is treatable with medications, but sometimes even after treatment, infection can come back because the disease-causing parasite wasn't completely eliminated. Patients may also have symptoms that emerge years after the initial infection and treatment. Cleveland ClinicA French Army surgeon discovered that malaria is a parasitic disease in 1880—but scientists were initially skepticalCharles Louis Alphonse Laveran won the Nobel Prize for his work "on the role played by protozoa" in causing diseases. His work included discovering and reporting the malaria-causing parasite in the blood of a patient suffering from malaria. The Nobel PrizeThe mosquito's role in the transmission of malaria was confirmed in 1897The English army surgeon Ronald Ross, who later won the Nobel Prize for his work, was the first to describe the transmission of malarial parasites by mosquitoes. He had lab mosquitoes suck blood from malaria-infected people and separately found the malaria parasite inside a mosquito's gut, confirming the bug's role in malaria transmission. The Nobel PrizeMalaria vaccines are not routine because they have limited effectivenessBoth of the currently recommended malaria vaccines have limited effectiveness, require multiple doses, and provide protection for only a short period of time. One, approved by the World Health Organization in 2021, is only about 30% effective, requires four doses, and protection fades within months. The other requires three shots, and some research indicates it is 75% effective for a year. The Seattle TimesThere are two recommended malaria vaccinesTwo vaccines are currently recommended by world health experts for children living in areas where malaria transmission is common. The first, RTS,S/ASO1, formally became recommended for use by the World Health Organization in October 2021, and the second was approved by the WHO two years later. Both have faced logistical, financial, and uptake challenges. US Centers for Disease Control and PreventionYes, many animals get malaria—not just humansBirds, rodents, monkeys, lizards, bats, apes, and livestock are among the species that can become infected with malaria. Infected animals' symptoms often resemble those of humans, including fever, lethargy, loss of appetite and difficulty breathing. Birds will also have ruffled feathers and drooped heads. Discover WildlifeThe most severe form of malaria is caused by the Plasmodium falciparum parasiteMultiple species of a single-celled organism called a protozoa cause malaria infection when transmitted by a mosquito bite. But Plasmodium falciparum is the most widespread in Africa, and the most deadly. Sri Chaitanya Academy NEETMalaria comes from the Italian term 'mal'aria,' meaning 'bad air'The term refers to marshy areas associated with the disease. An estimated 94% of malaria cases—215 million—occur in Africa. National Library of MedicineSee this graphic of the complex malaria transmission lifecycleFemale Anopheles mosquitoes contract malaria by feeding on the blood of a human already infected with the disease-causing parasite. The parasite then develops in the mosquito's gut for one to two weeks before it migrates to the mosquito's salivary glands. Next, when the mosquito bites another person the parasite is delivered into the bloodstream of another human. This graphic further details what happens inside the human body during infection. PATHResearchers are breeding genetically modified mosquitoes to be malaria-resistantUsing CRISPR, a team of international researchers is genetically modifying Anopheles in the lab to be malaria-resistant. The insects would be released into the wild to mate with the wild population, passing down this trait. As of early 2026 they had not yet released the mosquitoes into the wild for field trials. Separate CRISPR work seeks to reduce the Anopheles population altogether. ReutersHear what it's like to have malariaIn Kenya, as one malaria-sufferer explains, the disease is common enough that anytime a child has a fever or any sort of sickness families and the community will wonder if it's malaria. Sleeping under a mosquito net is recommended. Unfortunately, a gin and tonic will not keep malaria at bay. This Podcast Will Kill YouMalaria mosquitoes in a lab were wiped out using CRISPRScientists at Imperial College London disabled a gene in female Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes to make them infertile and propagated the infertility mutation at unnaturally high rates using a gene drive. The entire population collapsed within a dozen generations, showing promise for subsequent with mosquitoes in mimicked tropical environments. Chemical & Engineering NewsAnopheles mosquitoes are developing resistance to insecticidesThe malaria-transmitting mosquito species is developing resistance to the insecticides used in insecticide-treated bed nets and in indoor spraying in people's homes and communities. Malaria parasites are also developing resistance to antimalarial drugs. World Health OrganizationDe-extinction techniques create new species from existing organismsRather than recovering a genetic sample of a lost species and editing it with that of living creature—as has been depicted in science fiction—scientists begin with living cells from close genetic relatives and use tools like CRISPR to swap in extinct versions of specific traits to create new hybrid species. NOVA PBS OfficialMosquitoes top the ranking of the world's deadliest animalsMosquitos kill about 760,000 people every year. The vast majority of those deaths are caused by malaria, which is transmitted and spread by the Anopheles mosquito. The second-largest killers are snakes. Our World in DataA gallery of medical illustrations from NIHThe National Institutes of Health provides educational materials for broad use. The institute hosts a Flickr account with many different image galleries, including this one (with over 70 images to date) that illustrate and annotate curious phenomena, from the life cycles of a malaria parasite to the comparison of male and female bladders. Explore the gallery here. National Institutes of HealthInvasive species can harm infrastructure and threaten human healthThe wildfires in Hawaii in 2022 were made worse by flammable invasive grasses introduced from Africa as livestock pasture, and Zebra mussels native to the Caspian and Black Seas have spread across Europe and the US, where they can clog power plant pipes. Invasive mosquitoes can carry diseases, such as dengue and malaria. World Economic ForumSee the global blindness burden by cause and continentThese charts show the estimated number of people worldwide with blindness due to cataract, glaucoma, refractive disorders, age-related macular degeneration, malaria, river blindness, trachoma, and other causes. Our World in DataThe pharmaceutical industry evolved, in part, from the discovery of synthetic dyesIn 1856, a chemist accidentally discovered mauveine, the world’s first synthetic dye, while trying to make quinine to treat malaria. The synthetic dyes that followed helped reveal germs under microscopes, paving the way for modern imaging techniques and breakthrough treatments, such as antibiotics. Tiny MattersLearn the history and science of influenza in 'This Podcast Will Kill You'In their flu episode, cohosts Erin Welsh and Erin Allmann Updyke unpack influenza’s biology, history, and impact—explaining everything from past pandemics to modern vaccines, all with their trademark mix of science and storytelling. This Podcast Will Kill YouThe US Army inherited the Apache Wars after the Mexican-American WarThe resolution of the Mexican-American War inserted the US Army into an ongoing conflict between Apache groups and outside powers—transforming local resistance into a decades-long struggle against American expansion known as the Apache Wars. sedona.netWas disease the biggest killer in the Civil War?Diseases like dysentery, typhus, and malaria killed nearly two-thirds of those who died during the US Civil War. Living conditions and certain medical practices made the impact of illness even worse. Stanford's Kathryn Olivarius explains why disease was so much worse than combat in historical conflicts. American History Hotline In admiration of ancient Rome's Appian WayThe Appian Way is a Roman road built in the 4th century BCE, connecting the capital of Rome to the city of Capua. It is considered an engineering marvel for successfully crossing the dense Pontine Marshes, long an extremely difficult region to traverse. 3 Quarks Daily
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