Vaccine for malaria? Differences with yellow fever?

QUESTION Is there a vaccine to prevent malaria? What is the difference between yellow fever and malaria? ANSWER In answer to your first question, no, there is not currently a vaccine available to prevent malaria. The best current candidate, the RTS,S vaccine which was developed by GlaxoSmithKline, is currently undergoing Phase III clinical trials in Africa. Although preliminary results … [Read more...]

Mosquito Types

QUESTION How many types of mosquito are there? ANSWER There are over 3,500 species of mosquito! However, most of these do not transmit any diseases to humans. Mosquitoes are usually divided into two sub-families, the Anophelinae and the Culicinae. The latter group consists of about 40 genera, including Culex and Aedes, which contain some species that transmit diseases to humans (such as … [Read more...]

US Army Doctor William Crawford Gorgas: Sent to Panama to fight Malaria

QUESTION What was the doctor's name who was sent to Panama to fight Malaria when Panama Canal was being built? ANSWER I believe the person you are referring to is Dr. William Crawford Gorgas. Dr Gorgas was the chief sanitary officer for the Panama Canal project and had gained experience in controlling vector borne diseases while working in Havana, Cuba, where yellow fever was a problem. … [Read more...]

Mosquitos Make Proteins to Handle Heat Spike of Hot Blood Meals

Mosquitoes make proteins to help them handle the stressful spike in body temperature that’s prompted by their hot blood meals, a new study has found. The mosquito’s eating pattern is inherently risky: Taking a blood meal involves finding warm-blooded hosts, avoiding detection, penetrating tough skin and evading any host immune response, not to mention the slap of a human hand. Until … [Read more...]