Why is malaria common in tropical regions but relatively rare in the US, despite having a lots of mosquitos?
In: Biology
Only a few species of mosquito can transmit malaria, and they need a wet climate. The parasite itself needs hot weather in order to thrive insde the mosquito. There are more pieces to the puzzle, and you can read a lot more about it here: [https://www.cdc.gov/malaria/about/biology/index.html](https://www.cdc.gov/malaria/about/biology/index.html)
The US actually used to have endemic malaria in huge regions until the 1950s—this takes the correct type of mosquito, as well as the parasite which lives in animal and human hosts. We successfully used pesticides, including DDT, to more or less eradicate it. We still have mosquito management districts and comprehensive surveillance programs in areas that are vulnerable to keep the host animals from ever getting reinfected and causing new epidemics. Fun fact, Cleveland Garfield’s wife is believed to have contracted malaria in the White House.
Imagine malaria is like a special kind of kickball. You need two things to play:
The right players: Only certain mosquito teams (Anopheles kind) can carry the kickball (malaria parasite). In the US, most mosquito teams are the wrong kind for kickball.
Perfect weather: The kickball needs warmth and rain to get ready for the game. Tropical places have this perfect weather, not the US.
So, even though both places have mosquitos, only the tropics have the right teams and weather for the malaria kickball game to keep happening.
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