Saudi Gazette The General Directorate of Statistics of the Ministry of Health has revealed the results of a study that reported 1,941 cases of malaria in Saudi Arabia last year. The vast majority of cases were concentrated in the Jizan and Asir regions. Other affected cities included Madina which had 145 cases, Makkah with 92 cases, and Jeddah with 66 cases. The vast majority of malaria cases, 98.5 percent, were reported in people arriving from abroad, and the remaining 1.5 percent of cases were locally transmitted. With just under 2,000 reports in the year 2010, statistically the incidence of malaria in Saudi Arabia is considered almost non-existent with an occurrence rate of 0.2 cases in every 100,000 individuals in the country. The highest incidence of malaria reports occurred during the months of January and February in the year 2010 in the southwestern regions of the Kingdom. A decline in malaria incidence was noticed starting from March, followed by an increase again in October and November. That is a normal pattern since these months coincide with the rainy season which contributes to the spread of malaria in these regions. The report disclosed that malaria in the Kingdom targeted mainly those above 10 years of age, with only 5.98 percent of those who contracted malaria less than ten years old. Malaria is caused by a parasite called Plasmodium, which is transmitted via the bites of infected mosquitoes. In the human body, the parasites multiply in the liver, and then infect red blood cells. Symptoms of malaria include fever, headache, and vomiting, and usually appear between 10 and 15 days after the mosquito bite. If not treated, malaria can quickly become life-threatening by disrupting the blood supply to vital organs. The Ministry of Health is taking measures to combat the malaria parasite by heavily spraying insecticides in the areas where the mosquito carrying parasites multiply. Buildinigs in high risk areas are also being treated with insecticides in addition to increasing the public's awareness about this infection. __
