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.
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