By Guy D McCardle
The deadliest disease ever has been around for at least 20 million years.
It may have killed Alexander the Great, King Tut and at least six popes. Some sources claim that almost half of all humans that ever lived have been killed by it.
What is the name of this murderous menace? Malaria.
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects both humans and other animals. Some mosquitos carry a parasitic protozoan of the genus Plasmodium. This is the killer.
Mosquitos are the vector, the carrier. If we look at mosquitos as a bomber, then Plasmodium is the bomb.
There are five species of the parasite that cause the disease. Of these, Plasmodium falciparum is the most deadly. According to the 2018 world malaria report, there were 219 million cases of malaria in 2017. From this number 435,000 infected people died.
Approximately 70% of malaria deaths occurred in children age 5 or younger.
Source: Quora