How is malaria affected by climate?

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Climate shapes malaria transmission mainly through the mosquito vector and the parasite’s development inside it. Warmer temperatures speed up parasite development and mosquito life cycles, while rainfall and humidity create and sustain standing-water habitats where Anopheles mosquitoes breed and survive. Because these conditions tend to increase mosquito populations and shorten the time to infectiousness, wetter and more humid periods usually lead to higher malaria transmission. Climate change can thus shift where and when malaria occurs by altering rainfall patterns and temperatures, potentially increasing disease rates in areas that become more suitable. This is why the statement that malaria generally increases in wetter/humid times of the year, with climate change potentially affecting disease rates, is the best fit. Malaria is not unaffected by climate, and it is not driven by temperature alone—the other factors, including rainfall and humidity, play important roles.