Malaria

The New World screwworm is back in Texas. The lone star tick is on a tea. And the air is thick with blood-sucking mosquitoes. These are all parasites, and they are aggressively on the hunt for their next victim. We share the planet with these creatures, and we need to understand them to protect ourselves. Are they the villains of the animal kingdom or are they misunderstood?

Malaria kills more than half a million people a year, and an effective vaccine has been elusive. But a San Antonio malaria researcher and her team have discovered a vulnerability in the malaria parasite's method of avoiding the human immune system that may make all the difference.

Four of the cases were found in Florida, while the fifth was logged in Texas, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

It's a tale of two diseases. Researchers at the Texas Biomedical Research Institute are trying to figure out if being infected with malaria can help a…