Malaria, a disease particularly common in Africa, is caused by a tiny germ known as Plasmodium. When a female mosquito bites a person infected with malaria, she sucks up Plasmodium along with the blood. When she bites a healthy person, germs in her saliva infect that person. What is the vector in this case?
Explanation:
Spread by mosquitos, malaria is one of the most common infectious diseases and a global public health challenge.
Malaria is a life-threatening disease caused by a parasite? that is transmitted through the bite of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes.
The parasite that causes malaria is a microscopic, single-celled organism called Plasmodium.
Malaria is predominantly found in the tropical and sub-tropical areas of Africa, South America and Asia.
If not detected and treated promptly, malaria can be fatal. However, with the right treatment, started early enough, it can be cured.
It is estimated that there were 198 million cases of malaria in 2013 and 584,000 deaths.
Around 95% of deaths are in children under the age of five living in Sub-Saharan Africa.
However, death rates have fallen globally by 47% since 2000 (WHO)
There are more than 100 kinds of Plasmodium that can infect many animal species such as reptiles, birds and mammals.
There are six different species of malaria parasite that cause malaria in humans: Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium ovale curtisi, Plasmodium ovale wallikeri, Plasmodium malariae and the very rare Plasmodium knowlesi.
Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax are the most common types of malaria parasite that infect humans.
Plasmodium falciparum causes the most serious, life-threatening infections in humans.
Malaria is transmitted via the bite of the female Anopheles mosquito.
These mosquitos most commonly bite between dusk and dawn.
The Anopheles mosquito acts as a vector? for the malaria parasite, carrying the parasite from host to host.
If a mosquito bites a person already infected with the malaria parasite it can suck up the parasite in the blood and then spread the parasite on to the next person they bite.
There are about 20 different Anopheles species? around the world that are responsible for the spread of malaria between humans.
There are five species of Anopheles in the UK that would be able to transmit malaria. Malaria was endemic? in the UK until the 19th century but was eradicated and is no longer spread in the UK.
Malaria is generally not spread directly from person to person. However, in some rare cases malaria has been spread through blood transfusions and the sharing of needles.
Malaria is most severe in villages that are surrounded by forests where rainfall patterns and humidity levels suit the mosquito best. The longer the life span of the mosquito, the longer the malaria parasite has to complete its development inside the mosquito.
Malaria transmission occurs mostly during the rainy season but rates of transmission can vary from one year to the next.
Anopheles mosquito
https://www.yourgenome.org/facts/what-is-malaria
