Update on malaria in Southern Africa.

Malaria is a eukaryotic plasmodium disease spread by the female Anopheles mosquito. Typically the malaria parasites invade the red blood cells. This results in fever, headache and can result in coma leading to death. Falciparum is the dangerous form of malaria leading to the most fatalities. Clasisically the red cells show ring forms and banana shaped gametocytes are seen in the peripheral blood.