Introduction to Malaria
Introduce the topic with the help of a reading
- Have your students to read “Vector-borne diseases”, a fact sheet from the World Health Organization (WHO).
- With the help of the reading, introduce the topic of vector-borne diseases and the factors that influence their distribution and spread.
- Proceed to explain malaria (or another vector-borne disease) and its transmission.
- Discuss the environmental conditions that are conducive for the spread of malaria (or another vector-borne disease).
Malaria is a disease caused by Plasmodium protozoa, and it is transmitted by the bite of the female Anopheles mosquito. This illness affects the human liver and blood and kills one-to-two million people every year.
Many factors limit the spread of the disease, foremost of which may be the temperature. Malaria generally spreads into regions where minimum temperatures fall no lower than 16° C (61° F).
Global changes in the climate and temperature affect the risks of spreading Malaria in different regions.
Read some facts about Vector-borne diseases from the World Health Organization (WHO):
Vector-borne diseases, from the World Health Organization.