People usually get malaria from the "Anopheles" or "Culex" mosquitoes : they are the vectors of the disease. The "Plasmodium" gets into people by the bites of mosquitoes. The "Plasmodium" is in the mosquito's special saliva. The mosquito's saliva injects an anticoagulant into the person to prevent their blood from clotting. The person is then infected with "Plasmodium" as a by-product. This makes the person have the disease we call malaria.