Malaria is a disease caused by a parasite that lives in both mosquitoes and humans; Wikipedia defines malaria as an infectious disease transmitted by mosquitoes and caused by a eukaryotic protist of the genus Plasmodium. It is widespread in tropical and subtropical regions, including parts of the Americas, Asia and Africa. However, malaria is a nightmare for me, it's scary as hell, a very frustrating and intimidating disease that brings you down. In my village, malaria is a common disease during the rainy season due to the presence of stagnant water which provides a breeding ground for mosquitoes. My first experience with malaria was when I was 12 years old. I remember missing school because I was hospitalized for about two weeks. The quinine drip was the drug of choice at that time, the side effects of this drug were worse than those of malaria. I personally call it a nightmare illness because I remember the scary dreams I had during my malaria attack, I was hallucinating and I didn't want my mother to turn off the light at night, I wanted that she held me tight and even though I almost fell asleep, I didn't want to close my eyes. To this day, I will do everything to protect myself from this deadliest deadly disease in Africa. The symptoms of malaria were described in ancient Chinese medical writings, but the word "malaria" was not yet used. In 2700 BC, several characteristic symptoms of what would later be called malaria were described in the Nei Ching, The Canon of Medicine. “Malaria” was widely recognized in Greece in the 4th century BCE and was responsible for the decline of many city-state populations. Hippocrates noted the main symptoms. In the time of Pericles, there were many references to "malaria" in literature and...... in the middle of a newspaper... it was best to take anti-malarial medication before traveling, use mosquito nets at all times while sleeping, and seek early treatment if infected. Unlike HIV/AIDS, malaria is curable. Works Cited Accelerating the development of a malaria vaccine. (2010). Retrieved from http://"Acceleration malaria vaccine," 2010/CDC: Global Health - Division of Parasitic Diseases Atlanta, GA:CDC. Retrieved December 5, 2010 from http://www.cdc, 2010/malaria/harper, D. (August 26, 2008). Etymonline. Retrieved from http://etymonline.comKakkilaya, B. (November 9, 2010). Malariasitis: everything about malaria. Retrieved from http://www.kakkilaya, 2010/Malaria. (April 8, 2009). Retrieved from http://www. “Malaria”, 2009/introduction/Malaria “Malaria”. Nobel Prize, 2010. December 6, 2010 http://nobelprize, 2010/educational/medicine/malaria/"malaria." The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia.