World Malaria Day: historic disease in Sardinia, but still current in the world
Every year there are over 600 thousand victims caused by the infection of the protozoan Plasmodium
World Malaria Day is celebrated on 25 April, one of the most widespread infectious diseases in the world together with that caused by HIV and tuberculosis.
Every year more than 600,000 deaths and 250 million cases of disease in the world are caused by the infection of the protozoan Plasmodium, approximately 95% of which are located on the African continent (populations in poverty and with low educational levels in rural areas are those most affected ).
The theme for 2024 is "accelerate the fight against malaria for a more equitable world": pregnant women, newborns and children under 5 years of age, migrants, and populations of some geographical areas have higher incidences of disease and mortality.
Sardinia, decimated for centuries, saw the elimination of malaria after the Second World War (1946-1950) thanks to the interventions of the Rockefeller Foundation which eliminated the vector of the disease, the mosquito Anopheles labranchiae .
Historical descriptions of malaria in Sardinia are present in numerous Roman and medieval texts (for example Tito Livio described the illness of Quintus Mucius Scaevola, governor of Sardinia, caused by adverse environmental conditions "gravitate caeli aquarumque").
