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When the mosquito bites a human, a parasite is passed into the blood, where it then waits to be transmitted to the next mosquito to reproduce. Researchers say that by treating people with a drug called ivermectin, they are helping to control the spread of malaria without causing side effects.
The Colorado State researchers say ivermectin reduces new cases of malaria by making the person's blood lethal to the mosquitoes, which are killed when they bite humans, thus reducing the likelihood of infection of others.
Ivermectin is well-known because it is already used in cases of scabies and river blindness.