On the African continent, approximately 1 in 100 individuals develop this disease. We wonder why is the frequency of a life-threatening disease so much higher in Africa? The answer has to do with another deadly disease, called malaria. Chills, fever, vomiting and severe headache characterize malaria (GENETICS Sickle Cell Case Study. (nd). 2000, October 19). Malaria is caused by a disgusting parasite called Plasmodium, transmitted to humans by mosquitoes. When malaria parasites invade the bloodstream, red blood cells that contain defective hemoglobin eliminate sickle cell disease and die (Facts About Sickle Cell Disease. 2014, January 16). This helps protect the person with sickle cell anemia from malaria infection. As you can see, this is the reason why various parts of the world experience a high rate of malaria, such as