"We are in training to catch mosquitoes. In order to capture the mosquito you must expose some skin. When the mosquito comes, it will land on the skin and you direct the aspirator (that's the device at the end of the tube that is in my mouth) and you suck the mosquito into the aspirator. We are training here. Tomorrow we go to the village to collect mosquitoes for the research. One individual should be getting about 200 a night. We work in three person rotations. I volunteered to do this... I'm excited. This is an important thing to do. People will use this information to better understand how malaria works."
More research and improved disease surveillance are needed to reveal the complicated relationship between malaria, mosquitoes and humans. Malaria is a remarkably complex parasite. In order to stop the spread and promote eradication, better understanding is needed about myriad issues. These include: how the parasite thrives in certain environments; resistance to insecticides and drugs; and habits associated with both mosquito net usage, and patient treatment. Research is also critical to evaluate new anti-malaria strategies created to replace those that are no longer effective.
Solid research improves resource allocation and the effectiveness of interventions in the field. When research results are applied to public health practice, it provides clear solutions to complicated questions, while clarifying how social and environmental factors affect transmission
