Malaria is a disease caused by parasitic protists in the genus plasmodium. the parasite is transmitted to humans by female anopheles mosquitoes. the plasmodium parasite feeds on human red blood cells, eventually destroying them. humans infected with malaria can exhibit many symptoms. depending on the severity of the infection, these can range from fever, chills, sweating, and headaches to anemia and kidney failure. ultimately, malaria can result in death. however, if time and money permit, once a person is infected, they can be treated with different antimalarial drugs. the two most commonly used drugs are artemisinin and quinine. in addition, one way to prevent the spread of malaria is to treat areas with anopheles mosquitoes with pesticides. the national malaria eradication program began work in 1947 with the goal of eliminating malaria from the southern united states. in 1947, 15,000 cases of malaria were reported nationwide. by 1950, only 2,000 cases were reported, and by 1951, malaria was considered eradicated from the united states. today, the disease is most common in africa and south america. it is estimated that 700,000 to 2.7 million people die from malaria every year, many of them children in developing countries. in 2002, malaria was the fourth leading cause of death in children in developing countries. why do so many children in developing countries die of malaria?