Tanzania’s bold step toward malaria elimination
Tanzania’s bold step toward malaria elimination
Tags: Africa, Gene drive, Genetically modified mosquitoes, MalariaGuardian Correspondent, IPP Media, 2025.
It is both mind-boggling and frustrating that an insect with an average lifespan of just two weeks can cause so much sickness and even deaths. Today, on World Mosquito Day, 20th August, the Ifakara Health Institute (IHI) honours Sir Ronald Ross, whose landmark discovery in 1897 confirmed that mosquitoes transmit malaria. His finding not only transformed medical science but also highlighted the profound impact mosquitoes have on public health.
For more than a century, his discovery—made while serving with the Indian Medical Services—has continued to remind the world that defeating malaria requires a deep understanding of parasites and efficient mosquito vectors in order to make a real impact in preventing the disease. Globally, vector control has been instrumental in saving millions of lives, mainly through Long-lasting Insecticidal Nets (LLINs) and Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS). These measures prevented more than 78 million malaria cases between 2000 and 2015. Among other emerging solutions, engineered gene-drive mosquitoes (EGDM) offer a complementary and potentially transformative intervention. Through preferential inheritance, EGDM can spread desired traits that either render mosquitoes unable to transmit Plasmodium or suppress mosquito populations altogether.
