Malaria in Fars during Qajar Era (1789-1925)

Malaria is a disease caused by single-celled microorganisms of Plasmodium group and is transmitted to humans by a female Anopheles mosquito. Malaria was a disease native to Iran and accounted for 30-40% of annual casualties. The disease had spread to Khorasan, Mazandaran, and Kerman in a dispersed manner. Fars region which is located in the southern Iran is an area that is not addressed well enough on this matter. Geographical spread of malaria began from Shiraz, as the weather in Shiraz was hot and infected in the summer, causing a variety of diseases such as malaria that used to be rampant in this city. Other parts of Fars where malaria was most prevalent included a vast area from lands in the northern Fars, where dates grew, to the shores of the Persian Gulf, and this disease was more prevalent in the southern parts, especially in Bandar Bushehr [Bushehr Port]. There were many disease-carrying insects in Lar and Larestan.

This historical research is carried out as a desk study and studies malaria in Fars during Qajar era with a histographic perspective through a narrative method, which is specific to natural sciences.

Malaria was one of the most common diseases in Fars province during the Qajar period and caused many casualties. In this article, various aspects of this disease are examined with the help of historical sources, newspapers and documents. Ethical Considerations: The Ethical Committee of Department of History, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Dr.Ali Shariati of Ferdowsi University approved the study.

This paper addresses malaria in Fars during Qajar era (1789-1925). It initially emphasizes on pathological importance of malaria history in Iran and then analyzes the role of malaria outbreak as a factor causing human casualties in the southern Iran and Fars.