Who Is Affected by Malaria Infection

The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that about 243 million people became seriously ill from malaria in 2008, and almost a million people died.¹

• Most cases of malaria and most of the deaths caused by malaria occur in Africa.¹
• Although most cases of malaria are caused by Plasmodium falciparum or P. vivax, P. falciparum accounts for almost all of the deaths caused by malaria.¹

People traveling to Africa may have a higher risk of infection because they frequently stay outdoors and often camp in rural areas where mosquitoes are common. There may be no risk of malaria (even in malaria-infested areas such as Southeast Asia and South America) if travelers stay in urban or resort areas where there are fewer mosquitoes.

In the United States 1,298 people developed malaria in 2008 (the most recent year for which statistics are available). Most of the people were infected with P. falciparum malaria. Two of the people died.² Cases of malaria in the U.S. occur primarily in international travelers, military personnel, and immigrants from countries where malaria is present.

References

Citations

1. World Health Organization (2009). World Malaria Report 2009. Available online: http://www.who.int/malaria/world_malaria_report_2009/en/index.html.

2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2010). Malaria surveillance—United States, 2008. MMWR, 59(SS07): 1–15. [Erratum in MMWR, 59(29): 914].

Credits

By	Healthwise Staff
Primary Medical Reviewer	Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine
Specialist Medical Reviewer	W. David Colby IV, MSc, MD, FRCPC - Infectious Disease
Last Revised	April 20, 2011