Sickle Cell Anemia
The name "malaria" is derived from the Italian words "mala" (bad) and "aria" (air), reflecting the earlier belief that the disease was caused by foul air in marshy areas.
Malaria is a disease that is more active in areas of Africa and Asia. The origin of malaria is through the bite of a mosquito.
The Thailand malaria map shows the prevalence and distribution of malaria in different regions of the country. It provides information on where malaria cases are most common and helps identify high-risk areas for the disease. This map can help healthcare professionals and policymakers target resources and interventions to areas with the highest burden of malaria.
Marshy areas are good places for mosquitoes to breed. Mosquito being the vector for malaria.
Sickle-cell disease, usually presenting in childhood, occurs more commonly in people (or their descendants) from parts of tropical and sub-tropical regions where malaria is or was common. One-third of all indigenous inhabitants of Sub-Saharan Africa carry the gene, because in areas where malaria is common, there is a survival value in carrying only a single sickle-cell gene . Those with only one of the two alleles of the sickle-cell disease are more resistant to malaria, since the infestation of the malaria plasmodium is halted by the sickling of the cells which it infests. The prevalence of the disease in the United States is approximately 1 in 5,000, mostly affecting African Americans, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Oliver Cromwell is believed to have contracted malaria during his time in the Caribbean, particularly during the expedition to the island of Hispaniola in the 1650s. The disease was prevalent in tropical regions, and his military campaigns exposed him to the risk of mosquito-borne illnesses. Malaria was common among European forces operating in these areas, making it likely that he contracted the disease during his service there.
Sickle cell generally affects those of African origin, more specifically those whose parents are from areas where malaria is common
Birds of prey can contract malaria through the bite of infected mosquitoes that carry the Plasmodium parasite, which causes the disease. While malaria is more commonly associated with mammals, certain species of birds can also be hosts to malaria parasites. The transmission typically occurs in areas where both the mosquitoes and susceptible birds coexist. Additionally, environmental changes can influence the prevalence of malaria in bird populations.
No, there isn't. But there is a preventative medication one can take while in malaria-infested areas to keep the disease from taking hold even if one would get exposed to it.
Malaria is one of the most common diseases on earth, and affects 10% of the worlds population, with over 300,000 new cases each year. In addition, the complex life cycle of the apicomplexan Plasmodium (the causative agent of malaria) makes it difficult to develop a vaccine against the disease because it involves transmission between several hosts.
Sickle cell is common in people from tropical areas where malaria is prevalent. Malaria can not survive on blood cells that are sickle shaped, so when populations were being killed off by malaria, those with sickle cell were surviving and passing on the sickle cell gene.