SSC
Malaria is transmitted by the bite of an infected:
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Answer: Option A — Female Anopheles mosquito
Detailed Solution
Malaria is a disease caused by single-celled parasites (protozoa) of the genus Plasmodium. It is transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected female Anopheles mosquito. Only female mosquitoes bite, because they need blood to produce eggs; male mosquitoes feed on plant juices and nectar.
Four main species of Plasmodium cause malaria in humans: Plasmodium vivax, P. falciparum, P. malariae and P. ovale. P. falciparum causes the most severe and deadly form, including cerebral malaria. P. vivax is the most common in India.
When an infected mosquito bites a person, the parasites (sporozoites) enter the blood and travel to the liver, where they multiply. They then enter and destroy red blood cells. The release of a toxin called haemozoin when red blood cells burst causes the typical symptoms of malaria: chills, high fever recurring every 48 or 72 hours, sweating, headache and anaemia.
Important discoveries:
Charles Laveran, a French army doctor, discovered the malaria parasite in human blood in 1880 (Nobel Prize, 1907).
Sir Ronald Ross, working in Secunderabad, India, proved in 1897 that malaria is transmitted by mosquitoes. He received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1902. 20 August is observed as World Mosquito Day in his honour.
Malaria is treated with drugs such as chloroquine and artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs). Tu Youyou of China received the Nobel Prize in 2015 for discovering artemisinin. Quinine, from the bark of the cinchona tree, was the earliest effective medicine. The WHO approved the first malaria vaccines, RTS,S (2021) and R21/Matrix-M (2023). Prevention includes mosquito nets, repellents and removing stagnant water. India aims to eliminate malaria by 2030. 25 April is World Malaria Day.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Female Aedes mosquitoes transmit dengue, chikungunya, Zika and yellow fever.
- ✗Culex mosquitoes transmit filariasis and Japanese encephalitis.
- ✗Good to know
- ✗Male mosquitoes do not bite humans.
Quick tip
Remember: Malaria = Plasmodium (protozoan), female Anopheles; Ronald Ross (Nobel 1902) proved mosquito transmission; Aedes = dengue; Culex = filariasis.
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Human Diseases & Health — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Human Diseases & Health, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers human diseases and health: diseases caused by bacteria, viruses, protozoa and fungi, how they spread, vaccines and their discoverers, the immune system, lifestyle diseases, and plant and animal diseases of economic importance. Questions usually ask what causes a disease and how it spreads (malaria is caused by Plasmodium and spread by the female Anopheles mosquito), which organ a disease affects, and who discovered a vaccine or treatment (Edward Jenner for smallpox and Alexander Fleming for penicillin). Group diseases by their cause for quick revision. Practise the human diseases and health questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.