Malaria

About the disease

Malaria is a mosquito-borne disease which is caused by a protozoan parasite from the genus Plasmodium. There are four species of malaria parasite which affect man - Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium malariae and Plasmodium ovale. The most serious of these is Plasmodium falciparum. Malaria results in symptoms ranging from mild illness to death. Mosquitoes from the genus Anopheles are responsible for transmitting the plasmodium parasite to man.
Approximately 3.3 billion people (half of the world's population) are at risk of malaria. Every year there are about 250 million malaria cases and nearly one million deaths from the disease. Malaria is an especially serious problem in Africa, where one in every five childhood deaths is attributable to the disease.

Distribution of malaria around the world

The importance of Vector Control

Vector control has been a very important tool in the fight against malaria ever since the discovery of the transmission of the disease by mosquitoes. Vector control programs have resulted in the elimination of malaria from areas where it was once common (eg. USA and parts of Europe) and techniques such as Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS), elimination of breeding sites and the use of Insecticide Treated Bed Nets (ITNs & LLINs: Long-lasting insecticidal mosquito Nets) remain important in areas where malaria transmission still occurs today. Changes in vector behaviour and environmental challenges in specific situations also mean that other techniques such as space-spraying could become more important in the future.

Approximately 30 – 40 species of Anopheles mosquito are regarded as significant vectors of malaria around the world. Understanding the biology and behaviour of each of these different species can help understand how malaria is transmitted and can aid in designing appropriate control strategies (eg. certain species may prefer to rest indoors after a blood meal while others may rest outdoors and such behaviour could influence the effectiveness of indoor residual spraying).

Environmental Science is well positioned with a broad portfolio of solutions offering flexibility in choice to suit most situations.