QUESTION

Apart from mosquitoe bites, is there any other thing that can cause malaria or if not from mosquitoes, is there any other way someone can get malaria?

ANSWER

Since the malaria parasites reside and reproduce in the blood, in some cases it is possible to transmit malaria from person to person through transfer of a large volume of blood, for example during a blood transfusion.

Some life stages of the parasite are also present in the liver, so cases of malaria transmission via organ donation (particularly of the liver) have also been noted. Finally, it is possible for a mother to transmit malaria to her unborn child via the placenta, or sometimes during childbirth, via the blood. The observation of malaria in newborn babies, who have not been bitten by mosquitoes, is known as congenital malaria. Despite the above possibilities, the vast majority of malaria transmission occurs via the bite of infected mosquitoes, so it is very important to protect yourself from these insects when in malarial areas.