Abstract:
Malaria is a disease caused by the protozoon Plasmodium which is transmitted through the bite of the female Anopheles mosquito. The four species of Plasmodium responsible for malaria are P. falciparum, P. vivax, P. ovale, and P. malariae. Plasmodium falciparum is responsible for most of the cases of malaria worldwide. It has been reported that, worldwide, there are about 400 million cases of malaria annually with 1-3 million deaths. Malaria in pregnancy is responsible for 75,000-200,000 infant deaths per year. Over 90% of malaria cases occur in sub-Saharan Africa. © 2012 John Wiley and Sons, Ltd.