Malaria: Not Over Yet - Public Health Series | Academy 4 Social Change
Malaria: Lesson Plan
Topic
Malaria is a potentially fatal mosquito-borne illness that is prevalent around the
equator. Africa in particular, which has 93% of the malaria cases, is home to some
of the mosquito species that carry especially harmful strains of malaria and that
have high rates of transmission. Furthermore, there is an important relationship
between malaria and poverty that can explain the slow development in malarious
communities. Countries plagued with malaria have much slower economic
growth than countries without malaria. Furthermore, in Africa, 1.3% of the GDP
goes towards preventing and treating malaria. Individual families put a lot of
money into prevention and treatment, and much of the resources in healthcare
go towards malaria. While there has been a global movement towards funding
initiatives to treat and prevent malaria, it is still a prevalent disease that is yet to
be tackled in developing nations.
Possible subjects/classes Time needed
Politics, Human Geography, Social
30-40 minutes
Studies
Video link:
https://academy4sc.org/video/malaria-not-over-yet/
Objective: What will students know/be able to do at the end of class?
Students will be able to...
● Explain what malaria is, its routes of transmission, and where it is most
prevalent.
● Identify key developments in the history of malaria.
● Explain the relationship between malaria and poverty in general terms.
Key Concepts & Vocabulary
Malaria, parasite, poverty
Materials Needed
Provided worksheet, computer
Malaria: Not Over Yet - Public Health Series | Academy 4 Social Change
Before you watch
Turn & Talk. Have students discuss Malaria with their classmates. Ask them to
discuss if they know what the disease is, where they have heard about it before,
and any other information they already know about the disease.
While you watch
1. Where are the majority of Malaria cases found?
2. When did the US eradicate Malaria within its borders?
3. How many people contract Malaria annually?
After you watch/discussion questions
1. What are some long term solutions to lower the negative impacts of
malaria on low income countries? (Think beyond providing anti-malarial
tablets).
2. How can the United States help nations that are struggling with Malaria?
Should the US intervene?
3. Why is learning about Malaria important even though it’s not prevalent in
the US?
Activity Ideas
● Poster Presentation. Have students complete the worksheet below. Have
them compile the information into a poster presentation. Have them
present their disease to the class, making sure that they compare the
disease to Malaria.
● Grant Proposal. Have students pretend they are applying for a $1 million
grant to help prevent and treat Malaria around the globe. Have them
consider what they should invest in and where this investment should go.
Have students compile their proposal into a powerpoint and present their
proposal to the class.
Sources/places to learn more
1. “Malaria.” Unicef, Oct. 2019,
https://data.unicef.org/topic/child-health/malaria/.
2. Gallup, John Luke, and Sachs, Jeffrey D. “The Economic Burden of Malaria.”
American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, vol. 64,
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK2624/.
Malaria: Not Over Yet - Public Health Series | Academy 4 Social Change
3. “Malaria.” Mayo Clinic,
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/malaria/symptoms-causes
/syc-20351184.
