Global public health and the academy.
There is no shortage of disease and related sequelae in the United States for our collective focus in research, teaching, and service roles in schools and colleges of pharmacy. The prevalence of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and infectious diseases require the expertise of physicians, pharmacists, and a myriad of health professionals for prevention and secondary and tertiary treatment. But as we graduate more of our students with future global responsibilities, consider infectious disease research opportunities, and contemplate worldwide interventions to stem patient noncompliance, I feel we should focus on disease epidemics and pandemics that contribute mightily to worldwide mortality. Malaria is just such a disease. A global map highlighting the geographic distribution of malaria is available on the web site of the US Department of Health and Human Resources (http://www.cdc.gov/malaria/distribution_epi/ distribution.htm). Malaria is endemic in well over 100 countries throughout the world. The malaria parasite is transmitted (via 4 species of the protozoan parasite Plasmodium) via various species of Anopheles mosquitoes which bite mainly between sunset and sunrise. The mortality associated with malaria, predominantly in Africa, is stark. For example, consider the following data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 1 :