The malaria war

Abstract

The 25th of April is a national day to honour the members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC), who gave their lives at Gallipoli during the First World War (WWI). The 25th of April has also been designated World Malaria Day by the World Health Organization (WHO), and is commemorated every year to bring awareness of deaths caused by malaria infection and global efforts to control infection. There is no coincidence that these two commemorative events are on the same day, as military campaigns suffered great burdens caused by malaria infection during WWI. Malaria infection is yet to be eradicated from human history; fundamental discoveries of malaria and its control were developed during WWI and the fight against malaria continues to this date. This article focuses on the discovery of malaria prior to WWI, the impact that malaria had on military in the war, and the development of control measures taken to minimize these effects and to subsequently eradicate the disease in many countries.