Researchers Using Mutant Mosquitoes To End Malaria, Which Kills 4 Lakh Per Year
Researchers Using Mutant Mosquitoes To End Malaria, Which Kills 4 Lakh Per Year
Tags: Anopheles, Gene drive synthetic, Malaria, Population modification/replacementM. Mohanti, India Times, 2021.
Every year, more than 22 crore people get infected with malaria and more than 4 lakh die because of it. In fact, in 2019, nearly half of the world’s population was at risk of malaria. According to WHO, infants or children aged under 5 years are the most vulnerable group, accounting for two-third of all malaria deaths worldwide. Malaria is caused by parasites that are transmitted to people via the bites of infected female Anopheles mozzies. In a non-immune individual, symptoms–fever, headache, and chills–usually appear 10–15 days after the infective mosquito bite. If it goes untreated for a day, these mild symptoms can progress to severe illness, often leading to death, if bitten by the P. falciparum parasite.
