Malaria: An Old Disease, Still Relevant Today

When children and adults are asked which animal is the most dangerous, they regularly cite the shark, the lion, the crocodile and the serpent. In fact, the shark kills ۱۰ people a year, the lion ۲۰۰ people, the crocodile ۱۰۰۰ people, and the snake ۱۰۰ ۰۰۰ people. However, in reality, the most dangerous animal is very small, namely the mosquito, which kills ۸۰۰ ۰۰۰ people a year. Depending on the species and the regions, mosquitoes inoculate dangerous viruses (such as yellow fever virus), parasites (Plasmodium), and a lot of less dangerous viruses (dengue, chikungunya, Zika, Japanese encephalitis, etc) which are responsible for fever and severe fatigue. Parasitic diseases cause significant morbidity and mortality in the world, especially in tropical countries. Malaria is the most common and potentially deadly parasitic disease (۱). Four species of malaria parasites are known to infect humans, including Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium vivax, P. ovale, and P. malariae which cause significant morbidity. P. knowlesi, which is responsible for daily peaks in Malaysia, has been shown to be dangerous for humans. Plasmodium ovale is now divided into two subspecies, P. ovale curtisi and P. ovale wallikeri. Molecular biology techniques allow better identification of species and follow their geographical distribution. Knowledge about malaria is increasing every day (۲,۳).