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Who Is at Risk
Who is at
risk for malaria?
Anyone can
get malaria. Most cases occur in residents of countries with
malaria transmission and travelers to those countries.
In non-endemic countries, cases can occur in
non-travelers as congenital malaria, introduced malaria, or
transfusion malaria (see above).
Who are the people most at risk of severe and fatal malaria?
Plasmodium
falciparum
causes severe and life-threatening malaria; this parasite is
very common in many countries in Africa south of the Sahara.
People who are heavily exposed to the bites of mosquitoes
infected with
P.
falciparum
are most at risk of dying from malaria.
People who have little or no immunity to malaria, such as
young children and pregnant women; or travelers coming from
areas with no malaria, are more likely to become severely ill
and die. Poor people living in rural areas who lack knowledge,
money, or access to health care are more vulnerable to the
disease. As a result of all these factors, an estimated 90% of
deaths due to malaria occur in Africa south of the Sahara;
most of these deaths occur in children under 5 years of age.
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