New Antimalarial Strategy Targets Parasites in Mosquitoes
New Antimalarial Strategy Targets Parasites in Mosquitoes
Publish Date: 2026-01-27 12:03:00
Source Domain: www.technologynetworks.com
Malaria is a life-threatening disease caused by Plasmodium parasite species and is largely spread between people through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes.
Of the five Plasmodium species that infect humans, Plasmodium falciparum is the deadliest and is most prevalent in Africa, which carries a disproportionately high malaria burden. The World Health Organisation reported that, in 2024, 95% of malaria cases and 95% malaria deaths occurred in Africa.
Current approaches to tackling malaria
Currently, approaches to tackling malaria include preventative chemotherapies, chemoprophylaxis for travellers, treating confirmed cases with antimalarials, and controlling the mosquito vector.
Insecticide-treated bed nets (ITNs) and indoor residual spraying are the two major methods of controlling the mosquito vector to prevent malaria spread. ITNs protect against malaria spread through shielding against mosquito bites, interfering with host-seeking mosquito behavior and either killing or reducing fertility in mosquitoes that land on the net.
The mass use of ITNs is estimated to have averted 1.5 billion malaria cases globally between 2000 and 2022.
However, malaria still infects over 250 million people per year and claims more than half a million lives, mostly among children under the age of 5.
Part of the burden of tackling malaria lies in political and economic challenges, Dr. Federico Appetecchia, a postdoctoral researcher at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, told Technology Networks.
“More sustained funding and more vertical malaria programmes could homogenize and increase the surveillance systems, supply chain, and general health services,” he said. “However, it’s widely acknowledged that the main portion of the burden is carried by technical challenges—with the rapid growing resistance of both Plasmodium parasites…
