Risk Map

Malaria is caused by the bite of an anopheles mosquito. During the bite parasites contained inside the mosquito can be transmitted to a human. The parasites reproduce and then spread to various organs of the body, including the brain. The symptoms are similar to flu.

 

If the parasitic infestation is not urgently identified (and it is often attributed to a dose of the flu by unwary travellers from non-malaria endemic countries) and medically treated then it can quickly reach an advanced stage called "complicated malaria", after which death can occur in as little as 24 hours. 

The WHO Malaria Report 2024 estimates that, in 2023, there were 263 million cases of malaria, resulting in 597,000 deaths. This makes the anopheles mosquito by far the world's deadliest animal.

 

The global map of malaria endemic countries (above) can be slightly misleading for travel risk planning purposes because most malaria-risk countries contain areas of high risk, low risk and negligible risk. There are also some seasonality aspects of malaria risk in many countries.

For example in many countries major cities often present a lower risk. In other countries the malaria risk is limited to small specific regions or just to the wet season.

 

Knowing the exact malaria risk situation for the countries you are visiting can save you a lot of time, effort and expense if you are going to a negligible risk region of a malaria affected country.

 

Travellers should always do some simple research to understand their own personal malaria risk for any upcoming travel.

Fortunately this information is very easy to research on the internet with just a few minutes of effort.