Malaria is caused by Plasmodium parasites. The parasites are spread to people through the bites of infected Anopheles mosquitoes, called "malaria vectors", which bite mainly between dusk and dawn.
Malaria is a life-threatening blood disease caused by parasites and is transmitted to humans by the Anopheles mosquito. Once bitten, parasites multiply in the host's liver before infecting and destroying red blood cells.