Hereditary Malaria

QUESTION

Can malaria be passed on through heredity?

ANSWER

In the vast majority of cases, malaria is only transmitted via the bite of an infected mosquito.

However, if a pregnant woman becomes infected with malaria, she can pass the parasite to her unborn child via the placenta, or via blood transfer during childbirth. An infection in a newborn child, caused by infection in the mother during pregnancy, is known as “congenital malaria”. Otherwise, a child cannot “inherit” malaria from their parents, apart from the above case of congenital malaria.