Malaria is a disease that has affected human beings since 1880, in the most terrible way. The disease itself is a parasitic infection spread by a mosquito or a dirty needle.

Once contaminated, the parasites multiply in the host’s liver before completely destroying all of the red blood cells in the body, ending in death. About 3.4 billion people, half of the world’s population, live in areas with risk of malaria transmission. In low-income areas of Africa, the first birthday of a child is one of the most celebrated because that baby has beaten the odds of survival from malaria.

An even more disturbing statistic is that in 2013 alone, there were about 198,000,000 malaria cases, states the World Health Organization. That is over 73 times the population of Chicago.

To say the least, Malaria is a disease nobody should have to suffer through; yet, it is considered a common disease in hundreds of countries. Chinese scientist Tu Youyou has become the hero of the decade by joining, and succeeding, in a covert mission to find a cure.

Before Youyou, the only remedies for the disease were mild antibiotics, and mild medical care such as fluids administered through the veins (IV) and breathing assistance using a respiratory machine. Due to the fact that the most common transmission of the disease is mosquito, many cases are unpreventable and is a high risk for all age groups, including children and babies.

“Project 523” the name of the study in which resulted in the cure for Malaria, started back in 1967 and took decades to come to fruition.

Youyou spent her life conducting research and traveling to remote areas of China searching for clues and remedies. Finally, on Oct. 15 2015, her discoveries resulted in the creation of artemisinin, a defense for the human body against this blood-borne disease.

Artemisinin is taken from the plant Artemisia Annua, and sweet wormwood, an herb used in Chinese traditional medicine. A precursor compound can be produced using genetically engineered yeast.

Youyou was awarded the Nobel Prize in  Physiology. The Nobel Prize was established in 1901 by Alfred Nobel to encourage persons who work for the interests of humanity. It encompasses Literature, Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, and Economic Sciences.

Tu was the only woman of three scientists who shared the 2015 Nobel Prize for the discovery of this new anti-parasitic drug. The new discovery has given humanity a new tool against our fight with Malaria.