What is the vector of malaria? The Vector of Malaria: Examining the Role of Mosquitoes

The Vector of Malaria: Examining the Role of Mosquitoes

Malaria, a serious and potentially life-threatening disease caused by a parasite, is spread by the bite of an infected mosquito. Mosquitoes are the primary vector of malaria transmission, meaning they carry and spread the disease from person to person. According to the World Health Organization (WHO, 2021), malaria is one of the world’s most devastating diseases, with around 219 million cases reported in 2020.The female anopheles mosquito is the most commonly known vector for malaria and is responsible t all cases of transmission (Lawniczak et al., 2016). These mosquitoes are found in tropical and subtropical regions, and usually bite between dusk and dawn. The Anopheles mosquito can survive in areas with standing water, such as puddles, ponds, and rice paddies, where they breed and lay eggs. When a mosquito bites an infected person, it picks up the malaria parasite, which develops inside the mosquito for around 10 days before it can be transmitted to another person. The mosquito then bites the new host and transmits the parasite, which then replicates in the person’s red blood cells and causes the symptoms of malaria (Faucon et al., 2021). Cont….