Malaria is a group of parasitic diseases common in tropical and subtropical areas. Approximately 300 million cases occur annually worldwide, and one to nearly three million people die of malaria each year with about 90 percent of these deaths occurring in sub-Saharan Africa, with the majority being children. Malaria has been known for centuries, having been described in ancient Greek, Hebrew, and Roman writings and in Chinese and Indian medical chronicles. Efforts to eradicate malaria by draining the swamps around ancient Rome were some of the first successful public health measures recorded. Like most diseases, malaria was originally thought a result of poisonous vapors in the air, and the name of the disease comes form two Italian words, mal (meaning bad) and aria (meaning air).

One of the most predominant health problems in the world, malaria is a much-researched disease. The use of cinchona bark extracts (quinine) as treatment in...