Malaria: epidemiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment--an update.

An estimated 300 million cases of malaria occur each year, annually accounting for 1.5 to 2.7 million deaths (1). Most of these deaths are due to infection with Plasmodium falciparum and occur among children and pregnant women in the developing world, especially sub-Saharan Africa. Unfortunately, mortality during severe or complicated malaria still exceeds 10% to 30% (2). Due to increasing resistance among malaria parasites to chemotherapeutic agents, dissolution of malaria control programs, and increasing international travel, the incidence of malaria is increasing worldwide. Large scale multinational efforts have been initiated to “roll back malaria,” including major commitments of financial, clinical, and research resources (3,4).