A New Approach to Malaria: Treating the Mosquitoes
Scientists suggest new way to treat mosquitoes for malaria by giving them medicine instead of killing them. The idea is simple stop mosquitoes from spreading malaria by clearing the infection inside them.
Researchers at Harvard University discovered a pair of powerful drugs. These drugs can kill malaria parasites inside mosquitoes after being absorbed through their legs. Instead of relying only on insecticides, which are becoming less effective, this method targets the actual cause parasites inside the insect.
The goal is to coat bed nets with these drugs. When mosquitoes land, they absorb the medication and become parasite-free, even if they survive.
Why This Could Change Malaria Prevention
Malaria kills around 600,000 people every year, most of them children. Female mosquitoes spread the disease when they bite to feed on blood.
So far, most malaria strategies aim to kill mosquitoes. These include insecticide-treated nets and indoor spraying. But mosquitoes have developed resistance to many chemicals, reducing their impact.
Dr Alexandra Probst, one of the researchers, said, “We’ve never really tried to cure the mosquito before. We’ve just tried to kill it.”
By studying malaria’s genetic makeup, scientists found weak spots in the parasite. Out of many tested drugs, two were found to kill all malaria parasites inside the mosquitoes.
How Drug-Coated Nets Could Work
These drugs were tested on net-like materials. When mosquitoes landed, the parasites inside them were destroyed, even if the mosquitoes survived. This means the insects can no longer pass on the disease.
Experts believe this new way to treat mosquitoes for malaria has several advantages:
- It targets the parasite, not just the insect.
- There are fewer parasites inside mosquitoes, making it harder for resistance to develop.
- The drug effect lasts up to a year on nets.
- It can work alongside current insecticides for double protection.
Real-world tests are planned in Ethiopia. It may take six years for full results, but researchers are hopeful. The goal is to create bed nets with both anti-malaria drugs and insecticides, making it harder for mosquitoes to escape control.
This new method could help reduce malaria cases, especially in areas where resistance is high and protection is low.
