The Threat of Malaria on Jess Kimball’s Journey

Jess Kimball gave her word to help a friend’s son – and her word is her bond. 

Follow Jess Kimball into Spain and Africa in her latest thriller, Fatal Bond, where she encounters threats on her life — and a life threatening disease: malaria, one of the most severe public health problems worldwide.

Malaria is a mosquito borne disease called by a parasite. You can become infected when bitten by an infected mosquito. Malaria feels a lot like the flu — fever, chills, and other flu like symptoms, but even when treated, Malaria can lead to severe complications and death.

Some statistics from the Center for Disease Control:

• 3.2 billion people live in areas at risk of malaria transmission in 106 countries and territories. That’s half the world’s population!

• The most vulnerable are people with no or little immunity against the disease. In areas with high transmission (such as Africa south of the Sahara), the most vulnerable groups are
  –Young children, who have not yet developed partial immunity to malaria
  –Pregnant women, whose immunity is decreased by pregnancy, especially during the first and second pregnancies
  -Travelers or migrants coming from areas with little or no malaria transmission, who lack immunity

Malaria is most prevalent in Africa- exactly where Jess is headed, but as you can see in the map above, malaria is a worldwide problem. Transmission can even occur via “Airport Malaria” where an infected mosquito hitches a ride via a plane from a country where malaria is more prevalent to an area where it might not be. Malaria has even been transmitted via blood transfusion.

The good news is that malaria infections and deaths are receding as awareness and education spreads. Malaria infection fell by 21 percent from 2010- 2015 and deaths fell by 29 percent in the same period.

What will happen to Jess in Africa? Check out my Jess Kimball thriller, Fatal Bond, to find out.