Essay Undergraduate 766 words

Malaria and Global Warming: Could It Return to the US?

~4 min read

Abstract

This paper examines whether global warming could make malaria a renewed public health threat in the United States. Drawing on CDC data, it explains the climatic conditions — particularly temperature, humidity, and rainfall — that enable malaria transmission. The paper traces the historical presence of malaria in the American South and the public health interventions, such as the Tennessee Valley Authority's malaria control program and the Malaria Control in War Areas initiative, that successfully eliminated it. While acknowledging that rising temperatures could increase risk, the paper argues that temperature alone is insufficient to cause resurgence, and that established public health infrastructure makes containment feasible.

📝 How to Write This Type of Paper Writing guide — click to expand

▼

What makes this paper effective

The paper grounds its argument in authoritative CDC sources, lending credibility to its claims about climatic requirements for malaria transmission.
It balances alarm and reassurance effectively, acknowledging real risks while contextualizing them within historical public health successes.
The use of specific historical examples — the TVA and the Malaria Control in War Areas program — strengthens the argument that institutional responses can contain the disease even under challenging conditions.

Key academic technique demonstrated

The paper demonstrates effective use of a single authoritative source (the CDC) across multiple subtopics — geography, history, and biology — to build a layered, evidence-based argument. Rather than relying on diverse sources, it mines one credible institution's materials to present a coherent, multidimensional analysis of the malaria-climate relationship.

Structure breakdown

The paper opens with a hook comparing historical and contemporary malaria risk, then moves through the biological and climatic prerequisites for transmission, the specific temperature thresholds involved, and the existing risk in temperate zones. It closes with historical case studies from the American South to argue that public health infrastructure makes resurgence manageable, ending with a measured, slightly skeptical conclusion about global warming as a malaria driver.

Introduction: Malaria Beyond the Tropics

Malaria has long been thought of as the bane of travelers to and residents of the tropical and subtropical regions of the globe. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), every 30 seconds in Africa a child dies of this disease. It is easy to forget that the construction of the Panama Canal was made possible only after yellow fever and malaria were brought under control in that region. But could global warming make this formerly prevalent illness resurge in the United States? (CDC, "Malaria: History," 2004)

Climate and the Spread of Malaria

The CDC's discussion of the distribution of malaria states that where the disease is found depends mainly on climatic factors such as temperature, humidity, and rainfall levels. "Malaria is transmitted in tropical and subtropical areas," specifically where mosquitoes are prevalent and the malaria parasites can complete their growth cycles in mosquitoes, which then infect humans. (CDC, "Malaria: Geographical Conditions," 2004)

Temperature Thresholds and Transmission Risk

Those concerned about global warming will be alarmed to learn that temperature is particularly critical to facilitating the spread of malaria. For example, at temperatures "below 20°C (68°F), Plasmodium falciparum (which causes severe malaria) cannot complete its growth cycle in the Anopheles mosquito, and thus cannot be transmitted." (CDC, "Malaria: Geographical Conditions," 2004) Thus, the more temperatures drop below a certain threshold during parts of the year — as currently occurs across most of the United States — the less likely malaria is to occur. This is the primary reason malaria remains confined to the tropical zone today.

2 Locked Sections · 330 words remaining

Malaria in Temperate Regions and Reintroduction Risk · 110 words

"Reintroduction risk despite current absence of malaria"

Historical Precedent: Malaria in the American South · 220 words

"TVA and wartime programs that eliminated US malaria"

Conclusion: Weighing the Risk of Resurgence

"Malaria: History." (23 Apr. 2004) CDC Website. Retrieved 21 Apr. 2004 at

You’re 33% through this paper. Sign up to read the remaining 2 sections.

130,000+ paper examples AI writing assistant Citation generator Cancel anytime

Key Concepts in This Paper

Malaria Transmission Global Warming Climate Factors Anopheles Mosquito Temperature Threshold Public Health Measures Tennessee Valley Authority Tropical Disease Disease Reintroduction Malaria Control