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Harvard researchers have discovered a new way to stop malaria transmission—by giving mosquitoes malaria drugs that kill the parasite inside them.
In a pioneering study, US scientists have identified a pair of drugs that can rid mosquitoes of the malaria parasite, offering a new front in the global fight against the disease that kills nearly 600,000 people annually, mostly children.
Traditionally, malaria prevention has focused on killing mosquitoes with insecticides, particularly via bed nets. But growing resistance to insecticides has weakened this approach. Now, researchers at Harvard University have shown that applying anti-malaria drugs to mosquito contact surfaces—such as bed nets—can successfully eliminate the parasite within the insect without needing to kill it.
Dr Alexandra Probst, lead researcher, said, “We haven’t really tried to kill the parasite inside the mosquito before—only the mosquito itself. But that approach is no longer cutting it.”
The drugs, when absorbed through the mosquitoes’ legs, were found to kill 100% of the parasites. Crucially, even if a mosquito survives contact with a drug-coated net, it will no longer be able to spread malaria.
Since each infected mosquito carries far fewer parasites than a human host, the likelihood of the parasite developing drug resistance is also reduced, the team said.
The treatment’s effectiveness has been demonstrated in laboratory settings, and field trials in Ethiopia are planned. If successful, dual-action bed nets coated with both insecticides and anti-malaria drugs could be widely deployed in the next six years.
Researchers hope the innovation will provide a longer-lasting and more effective solution in malaria-prone regions.
According to the World Health Organization's latest World malaria report, there were an estimated 263 million cases and 597 000 malaria deaths worldwide in 2023.
A powerful eruption at Japan’s Shinmoedake volcano sent an ash plume more than 3,000 metres high on Sunday morning, prompting safety warnings from authorities.
AnewZ has learned that India has once again blocked Azerbaijan’s application for full membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, while Pakistan’s recent decision to consider diplomatic relations with Armenia has been coordinated with Baku as part of Azerbaijan’s peace agenda.
The UK is gearing up for Exercise Pegasus 2025, its largest pandemic readiness test since COVID-19. Running from September to November, this full-scale simulation will challenge the country's response to a fast-moving respiratory outbreak.
A Polish Air Force pilot was killed on Thursday when an F-16 fighter jet crashed during a training flight ahead of the 2025 Radom International Air Show.
Zambia has formalised a strategic partnership with the International Vaccine Institute (IVI) to bolster domestic vaccine manufacturing capacity, the Zambia National Public Health Institute (ZNPHI) announced on Friday.
Four-time Tour de France winner Chris Froome was airlifted to hospital in Toulon after suffering a training crash which left him with broken ribs, a collapsed lung and a back fracture, his team Israel-Premier Tech said on Thursday (August 28).
Bulgaria reported outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza on three farms in the southern part of the country, the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) said on Monday, as Europe faces a seasonal upturn in the deadly disease.
Africa has unveiled a continental emergency preparedness and response plan to tackle cholera from September 2025 to February 2026.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Sunday he had undergone a full medical exam for the first time in his life and was found to be in good health.
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