ABSTRACT
Malaria is a mosquito-borne (Anopheles gambiae species) viral illness, which causes the greatest morbidity and mortality in tropical and subtropical countries, with an especially high prevalence in Africa. Approximately 90 per cent of the 1 million global annual deaths due to malaria occur in Africa and nearly three-quarters of these are children under the age of five (WHO, 1996; McMichael et al, 1996;). It is also associated with several complications such as severe anaemia (especially in children and pregnant women) and cerebral malaria. Low birth weight caused by malaria is responsible for about 6 per cent of the infant mortality.
