Sixth Grade
Worksheets
A Small Mosquito Bite Causes Big Trouble
Swat! A sting on your arm makes you realize that you have been attacked. You quickly smash your offender, but you get an itchy, red bite from the encounter. For many people around the world, small mosquito bites cause big trouble because mosquitoes can infect them with a disease called malaria.
Jamal is a boy who lives in Kenya. Kenya is a country in Africa. Jamal was only six months old when he first got malaria. Malaria ruined his health. He had many malaria attacks. Sometimes, Jamal became unconscious. Then his family had to rush him to the hospital. Doctors gave him quinine. Quinine is a drug that helps people with malaria. Jamal would get better for a little while, but he'd get another mosquito bite and get malaria again.
Jamal's mother, Isabella, felt very scared during his attacks. Jamal had them a couple of times a month. She explained how she felt: "Jamal was a very playful child. But right in the middle of a game, he would suddenly start to complain of stomachache, then a headache. Within a few hours, he would be in convulsions." Isabella said that her life became a nightmare for years because of Jamal's frequent attacks.
