198k views
5 votes
Suggest an explanation for why using a condom helps to limit the transmission of HIV,

but doesn't affect the transmission of malaria.

User Mgrant
by
6.7k points

1 Answer

4 votes

Answer and Explanation:

HIV is a sexually transmitted disease that is caused by AIDS, a virus. Malaria is a protozoan disease that is cause by plasmodium spp. Both the virus and sporozoites of plasmodium live inside humans. However, in malaria, the sporozoites are inactive form of the parasite and they live in the human liver. The human being acts as an intermediate host for the life cycle to be complete.

In HIV, the virus incorporates its DNA into the host(human) genome and uses the resources to produce proteins that are found in the blood. Using a condom helps limit the transmission of HIV because the virus lives in the blood cells but does not affect the transmission of malaria because the sporozoites live in the liver and other organs. HIV can be transmitted sexually, transfusion with contaminated blood, sharing of infected needles and syringes while malaria is only transmitted through a mosquito bite.

User Crymson
by
6.7k points