MALARIA: Geographic Boundaries Of Endemic Malaria Getting Progressively Smaller

 30 Oct 2010 Current Article Ratings:

For the last 150 years the geographic boundaries of endemic malaria have been steadily getting smaller, what experts call "The Shrinking Malaria Map". In the medical journal The Lancet's "Series on Malaria Elimination", Professor Richard Feachem, The Minister of Health for Ethiopia and team say that the Shrinking Map continues and there is every reason to hopeful for the short- and long-term future.
Professor Feachem, Director of the Global Health Group (GHG) and Chair of the MEG (Malaria Elimination Group), said:
The UCSF Global Health Group and the Malaria Elimination Group are proud to join with The Lancet to launch this synthesis of the best information and research available on malaria elimination today. We hope that this Series raises awareness of the great progress that has been made in elimination, illuminates the many challenges that remain, and mobilizes the malaria community and malaria-endemic countries to continue shrinking the malaria map.
The authors explain that elimination has occurred when endemic transmission has been stopped and the risk of a return of the disease is minimal. To ensure that elimination prevails there needs to be serious, ongoing commitment. Otherwise the best that can be achieved is a state of "controlled low-endemic malaria", in which the malaria public health burden is no longer a major problem, but where transmission still happens, even if it does not come in from abroad.
Up to 1945, about 178 nations had endemic malaria. Since then 79 countries have eradicated the disease, including:
UK, 1952
USA, 1952
Australia, 1970
Morocco, 2005
Turkmenistan, 2010
Malaria is still endemic in 99 nations. 32 of them are expected to become controlled low-endemic countries with the aim of eventual elimination, while 67 are controlling the disease.
The Malaria Map has been steadily shrinking over the last 150 years. Every single malaria eliminating country, 32 of them with a total population of over 2 billion people, are on the outer margins of the map. They consist of nations with all types of economies and climates, including Turkey, South Africa, Malaysia, Mexico, Iraq, China and Argentina.
There are 66 nations that are still controlling malaria. They are all either in the tropics or very near to it, and include the majority of countries in sub-Saharan Africa, some parts of South America and a large chunk of Southeast Asia. Sub-Saharan Africa refers to countries situated in the region of Africa south of the Sahara.
The authors write:
Countries deciding to switch from controlled low-endemic malaria to elimination need to do so based on comprehensive understanding of technical, operational, financial, and socioeconomic feasibility. Countries should avoid moving towards elimination based on national aspirations not backed by evidence.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/206233.php