How Could we Stop Malaria?

NGSS Phenomena: A man spraying inside a house and around a window.

In 2016, the World Health Organization estimates that 445 million people died of malaria. One way to stop malaria transmission is to spray inside homes with an insecticide to kill mosquitos, since malaria spreads most often through mosquito bites. The image below shows that malaria is only transmitted in a few parts of the world today and many hope that it will be eliminated in the future.

NGSS Phenomena: A world map showing that in 1900, malaria was on every continent except Greenland. In 1970 it was mostly out of North America, Europe, and Australia. In 1990, it was only in Central and South America, Africa, and South Asia. In 2016, it's was found in a much smaller part of South America, Africa, and South Asia. In 2040, it's expected to be eradicated.

Map showing actual progress and projected progress of malaria elimination. Dark red is where malaria is being transmitted. Pink is where malaria is being eradicated. White is where there is no active malaria transmission.

Malaria Elimination Initiative at UCSF, https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2018/04/410191/ucsf-convenes-groundbreaking-commission-define-path-towards-malaria-eradication

Recently, studies have looked at how different populations of mosquitos are responding to different insecticides. In the graph below, researchers looked at different test sites (different colors) in Western Kenya and the rate of Mosquito mortality in a study in 2018. Six pesticides were tested in 8 sites.

NGSS Phenomena: A group of 6 graphs showing that mosquitos from different areas have very different mortality rates with different pesticides. For some pesticides, there was a 100% mortality rate in every area. However, some areas had a lower mortality rate for all pesticides.

Mosquito mortality rates. Each color is a different place where mosquitos were tested. Each graph is a different pesticide.

Wanjala CL, Kweka EJ. Malaria vectors insecticides resistance in different agroecosystems in Western Kenya. Front Public Health. 2018;6:55

The WHO criteria to classify resistant mosquitoes is by mortality. If less than 80 percent mortality, the mosquito species is considered to be resistant to the insecticide. Anopheles (shown below) is a genus of mosquito that can transmit malaria to people.

NGSS Phenomena: A mosquito drinking blood and filling up their abdomen.

Anopheles mosquitos carry the parasite that transmits malaria to humans when they're bitten by the mosquito.

References:

Wanjala CL, Kweka EJ. Malaria vectors insecticides resistance in different agroecosystems in Western Kenya. Front Public Health. 2018;6:55

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How Could we Stop Malaria?

1. Traits that increase survival .

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2. Which of the following could lead to the creation of two separate species?

3. The insecticides that are administered to these mosquitos are an example of a(n) factor in the ecosystem.

Drag the answers below into the grey placeholders above

4. Do all populations of mosquitos in the different cities studied have the same level of resistance to insecticide?

5. Which piece of evidence would best support the following claim "Mosquito populations have developed the most resistance to the insecticides that have been sprayed the most in their area."

6. What does the information from this study tell us about genetic variation in mosquitos?

7. One of your classmates makes the following claim:"Errors in how they tested mosquitos in this study may have led to the differences in mortality rates."Evaluate their answer and use evidence to explain why they are correct or not.

8. Write a claim that answers the following question: How can we use natural selection to explain the findings of the research study?

9. What evidence supports your claim that answers the following question? How can we use natural selection to explain the findings of the research study?

10. What reasoning can connect your claim and evidence to answer the following question: How can we use natural selection to explain the findings of the research study?

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5. Which piece of evidence would best support the following claim

"Mosquito populations have developed the most resistance to the insecticides that have been sprayed the most in their area."

7. One of your classmates makes the following claim:

"Errors in how they tested mosquitos in this study may have led to the differences in mortality rates."

Evaluate their answer and use evidence to explain why they are correct or not.

8. Write a claim that answers the following question:

How can we use natural selection to explain the findings of the research study?

9. What evidence supports your claim that answers the following question?

How can we use natural selection to explain the findings of the research study?

10. What reasoning can connect your claim and evidence to answer the following question:

How can we use natural selection to explain the findings of the research study?

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