What to know about malaria
Symptoms Treatment Prevention Causes Diagnosis If you buy something through a link on this page, we may earn a small commission. How this works. Malaria is a life-threatening mosquito-borne blood disease. The Anopheles mosquito transmits it to humans The parasites in mosquitos that spread malaria belong to the Plasmodium genus. Over 100 types of Plasmodium parasite can infect a variety of species. Different types replicate at different rates, changing how quickly the symptoms escalate, and the severity of the disease. Five types of Plasmodium parasite can infect humans. These occur in different parts of the world. Some cause a more severe type of malaria than others. Once an infected mosquito bites a human, the parasites multiply in the host's liver before infecting and destroying red blood cells. In some places, early diagnosis can help treat and control malaria. However, some countries lack the resources to carry out effective screening. ...