The first people to talk about malaria, history of which goes back to 300 BC, are the Ancient Egyptians. It is known by everyone today that malaria, which occurs in swampy areas and is said to cause high fever, is a disease carried by mosquitoes and transmitted by their bites. The disease, which is common in certain regions of the world, is more common between latitudes of 45 degrees north and 40 degrees south. It is also known as the disease of tropical and subtropical regions. It is an acute febrile illness with an average incubation period of 7 days. Although the symptoms are seen at the earliest 7 days (usually within 7-30 days) after going to the malaria-endemic area, they can also be seen a few months (rarely up to a year) after leaving the malaria-endemic area. Therefore, febrile illness within the first week following a possible mosquito bite is most likely not malaria.

Africa’s Troublemaker

As we mentioned, malaria, which is frequently seen in tropical regions, is unfortunately a disease that Africa cannot get rid of. The countries with the most malaria in the world are Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, India, Cameroon, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda. As can be noticed, the majority of these countries are African countries. Malaria is the cause of death for 10 out of every 100 children who die in Africa. According to the World Health Organization, 286,000 Africans died of malaria in 2019. More deadly than Covid-19 in Africa, 94% of the deaths caused by malaria worldwide occurred within the borders of Africa.

IHCRO is in Cameroon!

We stand by our African brothers and sisters in their trials with malaria. There is no doubt that both death and life are from Allah. At the same time, the lives we have are entrusted to us by Allah. It is our duty to protect this trust. For this reason, everyone should receive the necessary treatment against diseases in order to protect the trust and should not persecute himself. However, unfortunately, as in the case of our brothers and sisters in Cameroon, many people who lack the means to protect their trust continue their lives in this way. Here, too, another duty arises for Muslims who have the opportunity: to help their poor brothers and sisters. We, as IHCRO, are trying to fulfill this task with the malaria clinic we opened in Cameroon. May Allah bless everyone who supported this work.