Under study are vaccines that can intervene against the parasite in different stages of its complex life cycle. Epidemiology Epidemiologists posit that malaria is a very complex disease. The vector of the disease is the anopheline mosquito. It is important to understand that the anopheline mosquito does not cause the disease. It is just a host of the disease-causing parasite.
Humans are the unfortunate hosts of the deadly parasite.
It is also essential to understand that the majority of mosquitoes cannot be vectors for the malaria parasite and that some anpheline species do not feed on humans. To transmit the malaria parasite a vector must be able to shelter and nurture the parasite through developmental phases that may last over eight to sixteen days. An infection does not necessarily lead to a disease. In some endemic regions the majority of the population may be infected but may suffer only mild illness. Recent works on malaria epidemiology haved focused on acquired immunity which is by all accounts temporary and appears after multiple exposures to the parasite.