The malaria parasite develops both in humans and in the female Anopheles mosquitoes. The size and genetic complexity of the parasite mean that each infection presents thousands of antigens (proteins) to the human immune system. The parasite changes through several life stages even while in the human host, presenting different antigens at different stages of its life cycle. Malaria vaccines have the potential to disrupt this life cycle at various stages. The currently available malaria vaccines are pre-erythrocytic vaccines and target the liver stage. Transmission-blocking and blood-stage vaccine candidates are currently under development.

This one-page infographic provides an illustration of the malaria parasite life cycle, alongside a step-by-step narrative explaining each stage and where the different types of malaria vaccines target the life cycle. A separate, high-resolution image file of the illustration alone is also available to download.

This malaria life cycle graphic may be freely used and copied for educational and other noncommercial purposes, provided that any reproduction is accompanied by the following acknowledgment line: "Reproduced from PATH's website at www.path.org, 2025."