QUESTION Is Malaria a type of STD for mosquitoes? ANSWER No. Mosquitoes pick up the malaria parasite from feeding on the blood of infected humans. Since only female mosquitoes feed on blood (the males feed on nectar), male mosquitoes never get infected with the malaria parasite. The life cycle of malaria in the mosquito is also completely different than in humans, and mosquitoes have a … [Read more...]
Malaria Causes
QUESTION What are the causes of malaria? ANSWER Malaria is caused by a parasite called Plasmodium, which is transmitted via the bites of infected mosquitoes. In the human body, the parasites multiply in the liver, and then infect red blood cells. Usually, people get malaria by being bitten by an infective female Anopheles mosquito. Only Anopheles mosquitoes can transmit malaria and they … [Read more...]
Malaria and Nkadu Luo
QUESTION When did professor Nkadu Luo discover that female mosquito causes malaria? ANSWER Professor Nkadu Luo is a microbiologist and immunologist in Zambia. Most of her work has been on HIV/AIDS and sickle cell anaemia. She has also been a key figure in promoting screening of blood banks in Zambia for infectious diseases such as HIV and malaria. However, the discovery that female … [Read more...]