The newly launched School of Medicine at Charles Darwin University (CDU) is set to bring a series of public lectures to share expert knowledge in health topics across the year.
Malaria is a deadly disease caused by the bite of an infected mosquito. For millennia it has defined human evolution, impacting societies, wars, empires, and our genetic makeup. In the 1800s almost the entire world was endemic for malaria, the disease being one of the greatest causes of infant mortality.
Malaria remains endemic to 87 countries with almost 2.8 billion people at risk of infection, mostly in low-income countries and poorly resourced communities. Each year it makes >200 million patients sick and causes >400,000 deaths.
In 2007 this unacceptable burden triggered Bill and Melinda Gates to call for the elimination of the disease globally by 2050.
In this talk, Professor Ric Price will present some of the key discoveries of the last 100 years, and the modern efforts and hurdles to the control and ultimate elimination of this deadly disease.
The lecture will be on Thursday March 17 - University Theatre, Orange Building, Casuarina Campus, 5 - 7pm. Admission is free.