▁mal aria ▁par as ite ▁responsible ▁for ▁these ▁different ▁patterns ▁of ▁in fection . ▁ ▁Ep ide mi ology ▁Each ▁year , ▁approximately ▁ 5 0 0 ▁million ▁people ▁will ▁be ▁inf ected ▁with ▁mal aria ▁world wide ▁Of ▁those ▁inf ected , ▁roughly ▁two ▁million ▁will ▁die ▁from ▁the ▁disease . ▁Mal aria ▁is ▁caused ▁by ▁six ▁Pl as mod ium ▁species : ▁Pl as mod ium ▁fal ci par um , ▁Pl as mod ium ▁viv ax , ▁Pl as mod ium ▁ov ale ▁cur t isi , ▁Pl as mod ium ▁ov ale ▁wal li ker i , ▁Pl as mod ium ▁mal aria e ▁and ▁Pl as mod ium ▁know les i . ▁At ▁any ▁one ▁time , ▁an ▁estimated ▁ 3 0 0 ▁million ▁people ▁are ▁said ▁to ▁be ▁inf ected ▁with ▁at ▁least ▁one ▁of ▁these ▁Pl as mod ium ▁species ▁and ▁so ▁there ▁is ▁a ▁great ▁need ▁for ▁the ▁development ▁of ▁effective ▁treat ments ▁for ▁decre asing ▁the ▁year ly ▁mort ality ▁and ▁mor bid ity ▁rates . ▁ ▁P . ▁mal aria e ▁is ▁the ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁least ▁studied ▁of ▁the ▁six ▁species ▁that ▁inf ect ▁humans , ▁in ▁part ▁because ▁of ▁its ▁low ▁pre val ence ▁and ▁mil der ▁clin ical ▁manifest ations ▁compared ▁to ▁the ▁other ▁species . ▁It ▁is ▁w ides p read ▁throughout ▁sub - S ah aran ▁Africa , ▁much ▁of ▁sout heast ▁Asia , ▁Indones ia , ▁on ▁many ▁of ▁the ▁islands ▁of ▁the ▁western ▁Pacific ▁and ▁in