Malaria parasites, which kill nearly 600,000 people a year, mostly children, are spread by female mosquitoes when they drink blood. Scientists have discovered in the fight against malaria. By analysing the parasites’ DNA, they have identified two drugs that can kill 100% of malaria parasites within mosquitoes. Mosquitoes could potentially be given malaria drugs to clear their infection so that they no longer spread the disease.
According to reports, a team at Harvard University has discovered a pair of drugs that can successfully rid insects of malaria. These drugs can be used to treat bed nets, providing a potential game-changer in malaria prevention.
New drug-treated nets aim to break malaria transmission cycleResearchers believe the introduction of these drugs is promising because the parasite is less likely to develop resistance. The drug has shown long-lasting effects, remaining effective on bed nets for up to a year. As the laboratory results are promising, further studies are planned in Ethiopia to test the effectiveness in real-world settings.
Even when a mosquito comes in contact with the net, the parasites inside it are killed, breaking the transmission cycle. The ultimate goal of the discovery of drugs is to develop bed nets treated with both anti-malarial drugs and insecticides, providing a dual-layered defence against malaria. Current efforts aim to kill mosquitoes with insecticides rather than curing them of malaria.