Professor Leo Braack is an extraordinary professor at the University of Pretoria’s (UP) Institute for Sustainable Malaria Control. He joined the University in 2012, having originally graduated from the University of KwaZulu-Natal.

Prof Braack says he is involved in malaria vector research because he believes that vector control is the single most important strategy for the management of malaria. It kills more than 400 000 people every year, and the overwhelming majority is in Africa, where many do not have the resources to deal with the disease. Prof Braack long-term vision is to reduce outdoor biting, as this is now the main source of malaria transmission.

He is part of several research teams, working primarily on malaria vector bionomics and understanding vector biology. In terms of cross-faculty research, he works mainly with Prof Walter Focke of the Department of Chemical Engineering in UP’s Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology, collaborating on mosquito repellent materials.

A recent highlight of Prof Braack’s research work was investigating the effects of Ivermectin on cattle and any mosquitoes that feed on the cattle. Ivermectin is a drug used for the control of parasitic infections in cattle, and has no harmful effect. This work was conducted with Takalani Makhantisa, who was a master’s student at the time and has now graduated.

His advice for school learners or undergraduates who are interested in his field is to discover the joy of medical entomology. “Read up about mosquitoes, fleas, lice and other blood-sucking insects, and the massive impact they have had on humanity over thousands of years – it is fascinating!”

Prof Braack’s interests include photography and writing.