Short answers, pulled from the story.
Malaria is caused by single-celled eukaryotes of the genus Plasmodium and is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes. The mosquito introduces the parasites from its saliva into the blood where they infect red blood cells and cause symptoms.
Symptoms of malaria usually begin 10 to 15 days after being bitten by an infected Anopheles mosquito. The initial phase of infection is asymptomatic while the parasites multiply in the liver before entering the bloodstream.
The three species associated with more severe cases are P. falciparum, P. vivax, and P. knowlesi. P. falciparum is responsible for the vast majority of malaria deaths and causes severe complications such as cerebral malaria and acute respiratory distress syndrome.
As of 2023, the World Health Organization has endorsed two malaria vaccines named RTS,S (Mosquirix) and R21/Matrix-M. These vaccines target P. falciparum and have been shown to significantly reduce cases of malaria and childhood mortality in sub-Saharan Africa.
Malaria is widespread in tropical and subtropical regions around the equator including much of sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, and Latin America. In 2023, some 263 million cases of malaria worldwide resulted in an estimated 597,000 deaths with around 95% of cases and deaths occurring in sub-Saharan Africa.