It became a common sight across many communities in Texas and the South in the 1940s and 1950s. Trucks would rumble down city streets spraying pesticides to eradicate mosquitoes. It was one piece of a larger puzzle that included research into vaccines and medications. And it was all a part of a major effort to eradicate a dangerous disease that had haunted the south for generations, the deadly scourge of malaria.
Malaria is a disease most known to emanate from the tropics. It is a disease caused by a single-celled parasite called a plasmodium which is usually transmitted by mosquitoes. The illness causes high fever, chills, fatigue, nausea, severe muscle aches, and even death. It was first discovered in Africa, and it then spread to Europe. It is believed to have arrived in the Americas with the expedition of Spanish conquistador Hernando de Soto in 1541.
