Malaria Statistics 40% of the world's population is at risk 300-500 million new cases/year 1.5-2.7 million deaths/year Malaria is endemic to over 100 countries and territories More than 90% of all new cases are in sub-Saharan Africa

Impact
Malaria is the world’s most important tropical parasitic disease and is transmitted through the bite of female mosquitoes. There are four species of the parasite that cause malaria in humans. One of these, Plasmodium falciparum, causes the majority of infections and can lead to death if left untreated. Each year, 300-500 million malaria infections lead to more than 1 million deaths, of which more than 75% occur in African children. Malaria causes 1 in 5 of all childhood deaths in Africa, and African children have between 1.6 and 5.4 episodes of malarial fever each year. Despite over a century of work to control or eradicate this disease, malaria continues to take its devastating toll, largely in developing nations. Nearly 40% of the world's population lives in affected regions. The emergence of insecticide-resistant mosquitoes and drug-resistant malarial parasites has made the situation much worse. Economists believe that the GDP (gross domestic product) of African governments is reduced by $12 billion annually due to malaria.

Malaria is a complex disease that affects different organs and tissues and takes different forms. Severe malaria of childhood can present as severe malaria anemia (extremely low red blood cell numbers) or cerebral malaria (deep coma). Non-immune adults are susceptible to both the these complications, in addition to multi-organ failure. A particularly severe form of malaria occurs only in pregnant mothers due to infected erythrocyte sequestration in the placental that harms both mother and fetus.

Symptoms
Malaria is characterized by fever, shivering, pain in the joints, headache and repeated vomiting. The parasite lives in red cells and eventually ruptures them, creating anemia. Severe anemia is often the cause of death in areas with intense malaria transmission. If left untreated, the disease progresses to severe malaria and results in convulsions and coma. Severe malaria often causes death if there is no treatment.

SBRI's Role
With more that 70 scientists focused solely on malaria, SBRI is home to one of the largest malaria research programs in the United States. Study of this complex parasite has led SBRI researchers to fundamental discoveries of the genetic framework and molecular biology of the most virulent malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum. As part of a broad global initiative to fight malaria, SBRI developed its Malaria Program in 2000, with an initial grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. With a three-pronged approach, SBRI's Malaria Program is focused on vaccine discovery for pregnancy malaria, severe malaria in children and liver-stage malaria. The program relies on emerging technologies for genome-wide analysis and the recently completed genomic DNA sequence of P. falciparum. In 2005, SBRI received two Gates Foundation Grand Challenges in Global Health grants to accelerate its malaria research. Out of 43 grants awarded worldwide, only two organizations received two awards: SBRI and Harvard University.

Patrick Duffy, MD., is focused on development of a vaccine to prevent malaria in pregnant women, as well as understanding why some children develop severe malaria while others do not. Dr. Duffy recently established a clinical research project and lab in Morogoro, Tanzania, to study severe malaria in children.

Michal Fried, Ph.D., studies the development of vaccines against malaria and work to identify disease biomarkers.  Her studies form the basis of the current effort to develop a pregnancy malaria vaccine.

Malcolm Gardner, Ph.D. is exploiting the genome sequence of human and animal malaria parasites to discovery new vaccines or drugs for malaria.

Stefan Kappe, Ph.D.,  is focused on the investigation of potential targets for malaria vaccines. Dr. Kappe has created a genetically attenuated (weakened) whole-organism malaria vaccine that conferred protection in a rodent model.

Joseph D. Smith, Ph.D. is focused on the investigation of potential targets for malaria vaccines. His lab's major emphasis is on understanding the function and pathogenic role of various proteins in Plasmodium falciparum.

Ruobing Wang, M.D., Ph.D., is combining her expertise in immunology and clinical trial experience with that of other scientists in the MAD Program to discovery new vaccines or drugs for malaria.
 

Links
WHO Malaria  World Health Organization - General information and statistics 

CDC Malaria  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - General information and statistics

Roll Back Malaria  A partnership working worldwide to halve the burden of malaria by 2010.

Malaria Foundation International  A global network to facilitate development and implementation of solutions to malaria-caused problems.

Seattle Malaria Group (SMG) approximately 75 members both internal and external to SBRI.

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