Abstract

Over 40 % of the world’s population is in malaria infested areas. Malaria not only causes ill
health and death but also hampers development due to the fact that lots of resources are spent
combating the disease. Severe malaria impairs children’s learning and cognitive ability by as much
as 60%, consequently affecting the performance primary and secondary education programs.
Human behavior much of which is influenced by social, cultural, economic, and political factors
is clearly related to health, including the risk for infectious diseases like malaria. Whether it is
intentional or not, human behavior affects health-promoting and disease-preventing activities,
in some instances increasing risk and in others reducing it. Beyond human behavior as such,
prevalent socio-economic factors including political and economic parameters also contribute to
shaping how humans act, and therefore must be seen, in and of themselves, as epidemiological
predictors of health and disease patterns.