Malaria Overview
Malaria Overview
Malaria is a serious illness, caused by Plasmodium parasite infection. The parasites are transmitted via bites of infected
Anopheles mosquitoes. The figures below will give you a picture of the significance of malaria worldwide:
216m
cases of malaria worldwide in 2016, resulting in approximately 445,000 deaths1
1,618
travellers brought malaria back to the UK in 2016, resulting in
6 deaths.2 Of these, 1,308 were caused by infection with
P. falciparum, which requires hospitalisation3,4
5
types of malaria affect humans:
P. vivax, P. malariae, P. ovale,
P. falciparum and
P. knowlesi5
99%
of malaria cases in sub-Saharan Africa in 2016 were caused by
P. falciparum1