What are the causes of malaria?

Malaria is a parasitic infection spread by Anopheles mosquitoes. The Plasmodium parasite that causes malaria is neither a virus nor a bacterium it is a single-celled parasite that multiplies in red blood cells of humans as well as in the mosquito intestine.

Malaria is a life-threatening disease that's typically transmitted through the bite of an infected Anopheles mosquito. Malaria can occur if a mosquito infected with the Plasmodium parasite bites you. An infected mother can also pass the disease to her baby at birth. This is known as congenital malar