- [Narrator] This tiny creature is at the center of one of medical science's greatest quests, (dramatic music) a battle to save millions of lives and end a scourge that has shaped human history, malaria.

Today, malaria is considered a tropical disease, but until very recently, it affected people worldwide, and it's played a huge part in our history.

- The United States, for example, is awash with malaria, in particular across the south, and even parts of the eastern seaboard.

(dramatic music) The American Revolution was decided by malaria with the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown, and he surrenders because he only has 35% of his troops left on account of the ague, is what the British called malaria at the time.

Eight US presidents contracted malaria.

George Washington was one of them.

He was bled, which was one of the crazy cures at the time.

He had his first bout at age 17 and had repeat infections throughout his life.

At the dawn of the 20th century, a physician of tropical medicine remarked that the future of humanity would be decided by one battle: man versus mosquito.

- [Narrator] All right, men.

Now we can begin to fight.

(fanfare) - [Narrator] During World War II, military casualties from malaria were so high that the authorities declared total war, even recruiting Walt Disney for the fight.

- [Narrator] Attaboy, Dopey, kill her good and dead.

(Dopey stomping) - [Narrator] The newly invented insecticide DDT destroyed mosquito populations.

Swamps were drained.

(dramatic music) Protection against bites improved, as did the availability of malaria treatments and tests.

- In the western world, malaria was made extinct essentially.

America was declared malaria free in 1951.

As a result, the malaria burden shifted to lower socioeconomic countries, specifically in the global south.

Funding for malaria research was drastically cut, and malaria was generally all but forgotten most wealthy nations.

(dramatic music)