Malaria Research and Control

Malaria is an infectious disease caused by Plasmodium parasites transmitted through the bites of Anopheles mosquitoes, with Plasmodium falciparum responsible for the most severe and deadly cases concentrated largely in sub-Saharan Africa. Researchers work across scales — from decoding parasite genome sequences to tracking mosquito population dynamics — to understand how the disease spreads, how the body responds to infection, and how interventions can be made more effective. Two pressing challenges dominate current work: the spread of artemisinin-resistant parasite strains that are eroding the efficacy of front-line treatments, and the parallel rise of insecticide resistance in mosquito vectors that undermines bed nets and indoor spraying programs. Vaccine development has gained momentum following the partial success of the RTS,S vaccine, but achieving durable, high-level immunity remains an open scientific problem, as does anticipating how climate and land-use changes will shift the geographic reach of transmission.

Works

180,989

Total citations

2,699,429

Keywords

Plasmodium falciparumArtemisinin ResistanceMalaria ParasiteMosquito VectorsAntimalarial DrugGenome Sequence