Lesson 3: Malaria
Handout 1

Malaria Fast Facts

Write True or False after each statement.

  1. Malaria is spread by the male Anopheles mosquito.
  2. Most cases of malaria occur in children under the age of 5.
  3. Malaria is predominantly found in desert regions of the world.
  4. The first signs of malaria are usually fever, aching and headache.
  5. Pregnant women have a higher risk of contracting malaria,which can,in turn, decrease the chance of a baby’s survival.
  6.  Insecticide-treated bednets increase the risk of contracting malaria.
  7. Betsy Ross, a British officer in the Indian Medical Service, was the first person to demonstrate that mosquitoes transmit disease from one human being to another.
  8. The average cost for potentially life-saving treatments of malaria cost over $100.
  9. Four Nobel prizes have been awarded for work associated with malaria.
  10. Malaria can still be found in the United States today.
 
 
 
Answers
  1. False Malaria is spread by the female Anopheles mosquito.
  2. True Most cases of malaria occur in children under the age of 5.
  3. False Malaria is predominantly found in tropical and subtropical regions of the world.
  4. True The first signs of malaria are usually fever, aching and headache.
  5. True Pregnant women have a higher risk of contracting malaria,which can,in turn, decrease the chance of a baby’s survival.
  6. False Insecticide-treated bed nets decrease the risk of contracting malaria.
  7. False Ronald Ross,a British officer in the Indian Medical Service, was the first person to demonstrate that mosquitoes transmit disease from one human being to another. Betsy Ross (January 1, 1752 - January 30, 1836) was actually best remembered for having sewn the first American flag which incorporated stars representing the first 13 colonies!
  8. False The average costs for potentially life-saving treatments of malaria are estimated to be US $0.13 for chloroquine, US $0.14 for sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine, and US $2.68 for a 7-day course of quinine.
  9. True Four Nobel prizes have been awarded for work associated with malaria. Sir Ronald Ross (1902), Charles Louis Alphonse Laveran (1907), Julius Wagner-Jauregg (1927) and Paul Hermann Muller (1948).
  10. True About 1,200 cases of malaria are diagnosed in the United States each year. Most of these are “imported” by military personnel and travelers to, or immigrants from, countries where malaria is common. (Information derived principally from http://www.cdc.gov/malaria/facts.htm)