Editing Malaria (section)

=== Economic consequences ===
[[File:Saving Lives with SMS for Life.jpg|thumb|right|Malaria clinic in Tanzania]]

Malaria is not just a disease commonly associated with [[poverty]]; some evidence suggests that it is also a cause of poverty and a major hindrance to [[economic development]].<ref name="Gollin-2007"/><ref name="Worrall-2005"/> Although [[Tropics|tropical regions]] are most affected, malaria's furthest influence reaches into some temperate zones that have extreme seasonal changes. The disease has been associated with major negative economic effects on regions where it is widespread. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it was a major factor in the slow economic development of the American southern states.<ref name="Humphreys-2001"/>

A comparison of average per capita [[GDP]] in 1995, adjusted for [[purchasing power parity|parity of purchasing power]], between countries with malaria and countries without malaria gives a fivefold difference (US$1,526 versus US$8,268). In the period 1965 to 1990, countries where malaria was common had an average per capita GDP that increased only 0.4% per year, compared to 2.4% per year in other countries.<ref name="Sachs-2002"/>

Poverty can increase the risk of malaria since those in poverty do not have the financial capacities to prevent or treat the disease. In its entirety, the economic consequences of malaria has been estimated to cost Africa US$12&nbsp;billion every year. This includes costs of health care, working days lost due to sickness, days lost in education, decreased productivity due to brain damage from cerebral malaria, and loss of investment and tourism.<ref name="Greenwood-2005"/> The disease has a heavy burden in some countries, where it may be responsible for 30–50% of hospital admissions, up to 50% of [[outpatient]] visits, and up to 40% of public health spending.<ref name="WHO-2003"/>

[[File:Malaria Patient, Nyangaton, Ethiopia (15151075077).jpg|thumb|Child with malaria in [[Ethiopia]]]]

Cerebral malaria is one of the leading causes of neurological disabilities in African children.<ref name="Idro-2010"/> Studies comparing cognitive functions before and after treatment for severe malarial illness continued to show significantly impaired school performance and cognitive abilities even after recovery.<ref name="Fernando-2010"/> Consequently, severe and cerebral malaria have far-reaching [[socioeconomic]] consequences that extend beyond the immediate effects of the disease.<ref name="Ricci-2012"/>