Malaria is a tropical disease caused by infection of the human liver and red cells by Plasmodium, a protozoan parasite which is transmitted to humans by a bite from the female Anopheles mosquito.

Malaria is thought to have originated from Africa. Almost 85% of the world's malaria occurs in sub-Saharan Africa. It has spread through the Mediterranean, Southeast Asia and India by human migration and can be found in all tropical and some temperate regions. Majority of deaths, estimated one million, occurs among the children in Africa, especially those in rural areas where access to medical treatments is not readily available.