malaria

Definition

A serious, sometimes fatal disease caused by a parasite that commonly infects a certain type of mosquito which feeds on humans.

Etymology

The word comes from the Italian 'mal' (bad) and 'aria' (air). It originated from the historical belief that the disease was caused by the 'bad air' emanating from marshy, swampy areas.

In the news

In this article, funding intended for parasitic disease work was redirected to support malaria efforts after other budget cuts, illustrating how fiscal reallocation impacts the government's ability to manage foodborne outbreaks like cyclospora.

Fear of lettuce is making RFK Jr.'s food messaging harder for consumers to swallow

politico.com

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