One of the parasites posing the biggest problems to humans is
malaria. Every year there are over 200 million cases of malaria
worldwide.
Around 655,000 people died from malaria in 2010, making it one
of the world's most serious health problems. Over 90% of malaria
cases occur in Africa. Poverty and lack of access to simple
preventative measures lead to an increased occurrence of the
disease.
What is malaria?
Malaria is a preventable and treatable blood disease caused by a
parasite. It is carried from person to person by some types of
mosquitoes. Have a look at this video showing what the malaria
parasite does inside the human body:
When a mosquito bites an infected person, it sucks up blood
containing the parasite. This infected blood can be passed on to
the next person the mosquito bites, causing the disease to
spread.
What can we do about malaria?
There are safe, effective and affordable tools to prevent and
treat malaria, such as mosquito nets and drugs. However, many
people living in malaria-affected regions can't afford these simple
measures.
Charities such as the Gates Foundation are attempting to
eradicate the disease and cases of malaria have been decreasing
steadily over the past decade. Simply handing out mosquito nets
sprayed with insect repellent can make a huge difference in the
numbers of people who get malaria.
Studying mosquitoes in the lab
could help prevent spread of fatal diseases
Meanwhile, scientists across the world are working to develop
new tools to prevent and cure the disease, such as new drugs for
patients and new insect repellents. The big hope is that scientists
will develop a vaccination for malaria, preventing hundreds of
thousands of deaths each year.
One scientist, Dr Leslie Vosshall, aims to discover why some
people smell better to mosquitoes than others. Malaria parasites
manipulate the host's biology and send a signal to mosquitoes
saying "Bite this person!" This helps the parasite to be
transmitted from person to person.
Have a look at Leslie doing her bit for science, feeding
hundreds of hungry mosquitoes with her own blood!
http://vimeo.com/21000017