| dc.description.abstract | Malaria remains one of the major health hazards, with high associated morbidity and mortality in addition to having a crippling effect on the economy. Worldwide, malaria is the cause of morbidity in 300- 500 million people annually, out of whom, 2-3 1 million die . The disease is endemic within most tropical and subtropical regions of the world but 90% of all malaria deaths currently occur in Sub-Saharan Africa. In Africa, official figures show that a child dies of malaria every 45 seconds and the disease is 2 responsible for 20% of all childhood deaths . In Zambia, an estimated 3 million cases are said to occur every year and in the year 2006, the estimated 3 number of deaths because of the disease was 6,484 .The parasites responsible for malaria include P. falciparum, P. vivax, P. ovale and P. malariae. P. vivax and P. ovale exhibit the exoerythrocytic stage responsible for relapses, but of critical importance in Sub-Saharan region is P falciparum. | en |
