Explanation: Malaria is caused by *Plasmodium* parasites, a type of single-celled eukaryote, not bacteria. Furthermore, transmission occurs via the bites of infected female *Anopheles* mosquitoes.

Explanation: *Plasmodium falciparum* is recognized as the species most frequently responsible for severe malaria and the majority of global fatalities.

Explanation: *Plasmodium knowlesi* is recognized as a zoonotic species, capable of infecting humans through transmission from its primary hosts, which are monkeys.

Explanation: Malaria is caused by protozoan parasites belonging to the genus *Plasmodium*, which are single-celled eukaryotes, not bacteria, viruses, or parasitic worms.

Explanation: *Plasmodium falciparum* is the species most commonly associated with severe malaria and is responsible for the overwhelming majority of malaria-related deaths worldwide due to its high virulence.

Explanation: *Plasmodium knowlesi* is a species of malaria parasite that can be transmitted from monkeys to humans, representing a significant zoonotic threat in certain geographical regions.

Explanation: Malaria is transmitted to humans exclusively through the saliva of infected female *Anopheles* mosquitoes during a blood meal, introducing the *Plasmodium* parasites into the human bloodstream.

Explanation: Adult mosquitoes primarily feed on plant sugars for energy, which fuels their flight and reproductive activities. Blood meals are exclusively for female mosquitoes for egg development.

Explanation: Symptoms of malaria in children are often general, such as fever, cough, vomiting, and diarrhea, which can easily be mistaken for other common childhood illnesses, making them less distinct.

Explanation: Cerebral malaria is a severe complication characterized by significant neurological impairment, including coma, seizures, and other serious symptoms, not merely mild headaches.

Explanation: Malariology is indeed the specialized scientific discipline dedicated to the comprehensive study of malaria, encompassing its parasites, vectors, transmission, clinical aspects, and control.

Explanation: Microscopic examination of blood films is considered the 'gold standard' for malaria diagnosis due to its accuracy in identifying parasite species and quantifying parasite density, often surpassing RDTs in precision.

Explanation: A significant limitation of RDTs is their inability to accurately quantify the parasite burden in the blood, which is crucial for assessing the severity of infection. Microscopy is required for such quantification.

Explanation: The WHO classifies malaria into 'severe' and 'uncomplicated' categories based on specific clinical and laboratory criteria indicating organ dysfunction, not solely on the presence of fever.

Explanation: Common adult malaria symptoms include fever, chills, headache, and fatigue. Jaundice and seizures are indicative of severe malaria. A persistent dry cough is not a characteristic symptom of malaria.

Explanation: The scientific study of malaria is termed malariology, encompassing all aspects of the disease, its vectors, and its impact.

Explanation: Microscopic examination of Giemsa-stained blood films is considered the gold standard for malaria diagnosis, enabling accurate identification of *Plasmodium* species and quantification of parasite density.

Explanation: A key limitation of RDTs is their inability to provide a quantitative measure of the parasite load in the blood, which is essential for assessing disease severity and monitoring treatment response.

Explanation: The WHO classifies malaria as severe when patients exhibit specific clinical or laboratory indicators of organ dysfunction or severe systemic compromise, beyond the symptoms of uncomplicated malaria.

Explanation: Severe malaria can lead to life-threatening complications such as respiratory distress, acute kidney injury, cerebral dysfunction, and circulatory collapse, among others.

Explanation: Indoor residual spraying (IRS) involves applying insecticides to the interior walls of homes, targeting resting mosquitoes, rather than treating breeding sites.

Explanation: Insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) primarily function by creating a physical barrier and killing mosquitoes that come into contact with the insecticide, rather than solely repelling them.

Explanation: Mass drug administration (MDA) is a strategy where antimalarial drugs are administered to an entire population in a specific area, irrespective of individual infection status, to reduce the overall parasite reservoir.

Explanation: Seasonal malaria chemoprophylaxis (SMC) is a preventive measure, providing antimalarial medication to vulnerable populations during peak transmission seasons, not a treatment for severe symptoms.

Explanation: Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS) operates by applying residual insecticides to the interior surfaces of dwellings, thereby killing mosquitoes that rest on these walls after feeding.

Explanation: As of 2023, the World Health Organization has endorsed two malaria vaccines: RTS,S and R21/Matrix-M, primarily for use in children in endemic regions.

Explanation: Seasonal Malaria Chemoprophylaxis (SMC) aims to prevent malaria illness by administering antimalarial drugs to high-risk populations during periods of highest transmission intensity.

Explanation: Artemisinin-combination therapy (ACT) is primarily recommended for uncomplicated *P. falciparum* malaria. Treatment for *P. vivax* requires addressing both blood and dormant liver stages.

Explanation: Effective treatment for *P. vivax* malaria necessitates eliminating parasites from both the blood and the dormant liver stages (hypnozoites) to prevent relapses.

Explanation: Parenteral artesunate is the recommended treatment for severe and complicated malaria cases. Uncomplicated malaria is typically treated with oral Artemisinin-combination therapy (ACT).

Explanation: Counterfeit and substandard antimalarial drugs do not improve treatment outcomes; instead, they pose a severe risk by leading to treatment failures, promoting drug resistance, and causing avoidable mortality.

Explanation: Artemisinin-combination therapy (ACT) is the standard and recommended treatment for uncomplicated *Plasmodium falciparum* malaria, combining artemisinin derivatives with partner drugs.

Explanation: Due to the presence of dormant liver-stage parasites (hypnozoites), treatment for *P. vivax* malaria must include drugs that eradicate these forms in the liver, in addition to clearing parasites from the blood.

Explanation: The primary risk associated with counterfeit and substandard antimalarial drugs is their ineffectiveness, which can result in treatment failure, the emergence and spread of drug resistance, and increased mortality.

Explanation: Sir Ronald Ross is recognized for demonstrating the complete life cycle of the malaria parasite in mosquitoes. The initial observation of malaria parasites within human red blood cells is credited to Alphonse Laveran.

Explanation: Carlos Finlay's pioneering research in Havana provided significant evidence supporting the hypothesis that mosquitoes serve as vectors for malaria transmission.

Explanation: Quinine, historically the primary treatment for malaria, was derived from the bark of the cinchona tree, indigenous to the Andes mountains of South America.

Explanation: The discovery of artemisinin, leading to the 2015 Nobel Prize for Tu Youyou, recognized its critical role in treating *P. falciparum* malaria, particularly severe cases, not *P. vivax*.

Explanation: The WHO's Global Malaria Eradication Program (GMEP), launched in 1955, aimed for global eradication but faced significant challenges, including resistance and funding issues, leading to a resurgence of malaria and failure to achieve its goal by the 1970s.

Explanation: The historical practice of consuming gin and tonic is often linked to malaria prevention, as the tonic water contained quinine, a key antimalarial compound, making its consumption more palatable.

Explanation: Charles Louis Alphonse Laveran, a French physician, made the pivotal observation of malaria parasites inside red blood cells in 1880, establishing a protozoan cause for the disease.

Explanation: The GMEP primarily employed widespread application of DDT for vector control and the rapid diagnosis and treatment of infected individuals to interrupt malaria transmission.

Explanation: The characteristic relapsing nature of *Plasmodium vivax* malaria is attributed to the presence of dormant liver-stage parasites known as hypnozoites, which can reactivate long after the initial blood-stage infection has been treated.

Explanation: The absence of Duffy antigens on red blood cells confers resistance, particularly against *Plasmodium vivax* infection, rather than increasing susceptibility.

Explanation: Sickle cell trait is known to confer a degree of protection against severe malaria. It does not increase risk; rather, the altered hemoglobin and sickling of red blood cells can lead to their premature removal, hindering parasite proliferation.

Explanation: The sexual reproductive cycle of the *Plasmodium* parasite, involving gametocyte development and fertilization, occurs within the mosquito vector, not the human host.

Explanation: Hypnozoites are the dormant forms of *P. vivax* sporozoites residing in the liver, which can reactivate months or years post-infection, leading to relapses by releasing merozoites into the bloodstream.

Explanation: Sickle cell trait modifies hemoglobin, leading to sickling of erythrocytes under deoxygenation. This process can result in premature clearance of infected cells by the spleen, thereby limiting parasite replication.

Explanation: *P. falciparum* infected red blood cells express adhesive proteins that cause them to sequester, or stick, to the walls of blood vessels in vital organs, thereby avoiding splenic filtration and destruction.

Explanation: The source material identifies sickle cell trait, thalassemia traits, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency, and the absence of Duffy antigens as genetic factors conferring malaria resistance. Hemochromatosis is not mentioned in this context.

Explanation: The apicoplast is a vital organelle for the malaria parasite's survival, involved in essential metabolic pathways like fatty acid synthesis, making it a key target for the development of novel antimalarial therapies.

Explanation: Malaria imposes a significant negative economic burden on Africa, estimated at US$12 billion annually, due to healthcare costs, lost productivity, and hindered development, rather than a positive impact.

Explanation: Genetic and epidemiological evidence suggests that the population size of *Plasmodium falciparum* experienced a significant increase approximately 10,000 years ago, coinciding with the advent of agriculture and the establishment of settled human communities.

Explanation: Climate change is anticipated to potentially increase the geographical range of malaria transmission by altering temperature and rainfall patterns, making new areas suitable for mosquito vectors and parasite development.

Explanation: The increase in *Plasmodium falciparum* populations approximately 10,000 years ago is strongly correlated with the rise of agriculture and the establishment of denser human settlements, which created more favorable conditions for parasite transmission.

Explanation: The economic impact of malaria in Africa is substantial, with estimates placing the annual cost at approximately US$12 billion, encompassing direct medical expenses and indirect losses from reduced productivity.

Explanation: Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Target 3.3 explicitly aims to 'end the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and neglected tropical diseases and combat hepatitis, water-borne diseases and other communicable diseases' by 2030.

Explanation: Climate change can alter environmental conditions, such as temperature and precipitation, which may expand the geographical range suitable for *Anopheles* mosquitoes and *Plasmodium* parasites, potentially increasing malaria transmission in new or existing areas.