How malaria was ‘weaponised’ by the British Army during World War I

Abstract

During the first World War (1914-1918), the British Army found itself confronting enemy armies in several countries in which malaria potentially hampered its ability to engage with the enemy. This article contrasts how it dealt with malaria on two of these fronts, the Macedonia front and the Palestine front. One front resulted in a failure of the Army to protect itself against the disease, with the other front resulting in successful protection of its troops, enabling those troops to create a decisive victory. The paper briefly explains the major differences between the two fronts, including the different attempts to deal with the disease, and draws lessons for contemporary malaria elimination efforts.