ScienceAugust 8, 2026

antimalarial

AN-tee-muh-LAIR-ee-ul

Definition

A substance or drug designed to prevent, treat, or eliminate malaria infection.

Etymology

The word is a combination of the prefix 'anti-' (meaning against) and 'malaria', which comes from the Medieval Italian 'mala aria', literally meaning 'bad air' due to the historical belief that the disease was caused by foul air in marshy areas.

In the news

In the article, the urgent need for a synthetic antimalarial arose after Allied forces lost access to the world's quinine supply during World War II. Dr. Eichelberger played a key role in the research and validation of primaquine, an effective antimalarial agent.

Lillian Eichelberger: Helped Establish Medical Ethics in Post WWII America

Read the full article ↗

Substack

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