World Malaria Day 2025

Spotlight on malaria research at the Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology

In 2023, more than 260 million people contracted malaria and nearly 570,000 people, mostly children, died from the infection. Since 2007, World Malaria Day has been dedicated to raising awareness of the disease, the challenges and successes in controlling it.

At the Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology, two research groups study the malaria parasite and its mosquito vector to better understand malaria.

In the Levashina Lab, researchers are working to better understand how the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum is transmitted to mosquitoes and what makes the mosquito such a good host for this parasite.

The Portugal Lab focusses on the complex interactions between the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum and its human host in a seasonally-changing environment. The lab works closely with the Max Planck International Partner Group, led by Moussa Niangaly in Bamako, Mali.

To highlight the researchers and technicians behind this work on World Malaria Day 2025, we portrayed them in their work environment and asked them to share a malaria fact.