Behind the Headlines – World Book Student
  • Search

  • Archived Stories

    • Ancient People
    • Animals
    • Arts & Entertainment
    • Business & Industry
    • Civil rights
    • Conservation
    • Crime
    • Current Events
    • Current Events Game
    • Disasters
    • Economics
    • Education
    • Energy
    • Environment
    • Food
    • Government & Politics
    • Health
    • History
    • Holidays/Celebrations
    • Law
    • Lesson Plans
    • Literature
    • Medicine
    • Military
    • Military Conflict
    • Natural Disasters
    • People
    • Plants
    • Prehistoric Animals & Plants
    • Race Relations
    • Recreation & Sports
    • Religion
    • Science
    • Space
    • Technology
    • Terrorism
    • Weather
    • Women
    • Working Conditions
  • Archives by Date

« Feb. 27-March 5, 2014, Current Events Lesson Plan
North Korean Dictator Elected–Unanimously! »

Warmer Temperatures Increase Malaria Cases

March 7, 2014

Warmer temperatures, associated with global warming, are causing malaria to become more common at higher altitudes, according to a report in the latest issue of the journal Science. A study of malaria in the highlands of Africa and South America by an international team of scientists found that generally higher temperatures in the future may well lead to millions of additional people exposed to the mosquito-borne disease.

Malaria, a disease common in tropical and subtropical regions, is caused by infection with parasites called Plasmodia. The parasites are one-celled organisms called protozoans. They are transmitted to human beings through the bite of the female Anopheles mosquito.

“The impact in terms of increasing the risk of exposure to disease is very large,” stated the lead author of the study, Mercedes Pascual of the University of Michigan. Pascual noted that in the past, higher altitudes provided  protection against this devastating disease because both the malaria parasite and the mosquito that carries it do not thrive in cooler air.

Malaria parasites appear in pink and blue in a false-color image. (c) CNRI/SPL from Photo Researchers

Pascual and her team studied densely populated areas in the highlands of Colombia and Ethiopia, where scientists have kept detailed records of both temperature and malaria cases from the 1990’s to 2005. The team found that malaria shifted higher into the mountains in warmer years and stayed at lower elevations in cooler years. “We have estimated that, based on the distribution of malaria with altitude, a 1-Celsius-degree (1.8-Fahrenheit-degree) rise in temperature could lead to an additional 3 million cases in people under 15 years old,” stated Pascual. Climatologists predict that Earth’s surface temperature could rise by as much as 1 Celsius degree by 2030.

The World Health Organization estimates that there were about 207 million cases of malaria in 2012 leading to approximately 627,000 deaths. Children living in Africa are particularly hard hit by the disease.

Additional World Book articles:

  • Charles Louis Alphonse Laveran
  • Sir Ronald Ross
  • Blood Feeders: Real-Life Vampires (a Special Report)
  • The Timeless Scourge of Malaria (a Special Report)

Tags: colombia, ethiopia, global warming, malaria, mosquito, world health organization


  • Most Popular Tags

    african americans archaeology art australia barack obama baseball bashar al-assad basketball black history month california china climate change conservation earthquake european union football france global warming isis japan language monday literature major league baseball mars mexico monster monday music mythic monday mythology nasa new york city nobel prize presidential election russia soccer space space exploration syria syrian civil war ukraine united kingdom united states vladimir putin women's history month world war ii