ABSTRACT
A recent report by the World Health Organisation (WHO, 1996) has identified malaria as a major cause of morbidity and mortality in tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world. The disease has been classified as an "emerging infection" by many national and international health authorities (Lederberg, Shope and Oaks, 1992), due to the increased global incidence of the disease. Malaria is making a dramatic comeback in areas where it was once eliminated or suppressed. Large parts of the African subcontinent remain endemic for malaria with reduced prospects for health improvement. Social change and human migration are causing increased risk of malarial disease. International travel in the absence of safe and effective prophylaxis is creating additional health problems for non immune travellers. Figure 3.1 summarises the global distribution of malaria in 1997.
