New Malaria Vaccine: Mosquito Bite

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Though mosquito bite causes malaria, scientists can now turn it into a vaccine for malaria.

Malaria is caused by parasites, Plasmodium, and ride along inside a mosquito. When a mosquito lands on the skin and injects its mouth into it, it does not only sucks blood but also releases these parasites, infecting the blood inside then develop into sporozoites. These sporozoites travel to the liver where a good place for mating and reproduction. If malaria is not treated early, these parasites will destroy some organs, inducing a seizure or worst death. But thanks to genetic modification, the parasites can be attenuated or weakened. When this attenuated or weak version of sporozoites reaches the liver, it will not reach maturation and reproduction thereby eliminating the possibility of having deadly malaria. Their presence will trigger the immune system to build a defense against the infection.

However, this new genetic technique is still under development and testing.

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