According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 90 percent of 2015's malaria cases occurred in Africa, as did 92 percent of malaria deaths. It is here that WHO has chosen to pilot the world's first malaria vaccine next year, with Ghana, Kenya and Malawi to be the first recipients.

Scientists have explored some very creative approaches to controlling the spread of malaria through the years, including reducing mosquito populations, altering their sense of smell and making ourselves less tasty.

Meanwhile, the development of a malaria vaccine has ramped up with a number of exciting candidates emerging of late, including one that can be delivering through the skin with a microneedle patch and another that injects live malaria parasites into the human body. The latter was shown to be 100 percent effective in providing long-term protection in early clinical trials.