Ten Malaria Affected Countries Soon To Be Malaria Free

Editor's Choice
Main Category: Tropical Diseases
Also Included In: Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses
Article Date: 17 Oct 2011 - 20:00 PDT


Almost one third of countries that are currently affected by malaria are on course for eliminating the disease over the next ten years, according to a report by the Roll Back Malaria Partnership. Malaria, a completely preventable and treatable disease, still kills approximately 781,000 people each year. According to WHO (World Health Organization), 40% of people on this planet are affected by Malaria. Malaria is said to undermine the economic and social development of the world's poorest nations.

The authors of this new report, titled "Eliminating Malaria, Learning from the Past, Looking Ahead" explain that a growing number of nations are heading towards the elimination of Malaria phase. In fact, over the last three years, three countries that were affected are now WHO-certified malaria free - Morocco, Turkmenistan and Armenia.

Over the last decade seven countries have become malaria free, with another ten currently monitoring transmission so that they too can soon boast of zero malaria cases.

Dr Robert Newman, Director of the Global Malaria Program of WHO said at a media roundtable at the Gates Malaria Forum:

"The world has made remarkable progress with malaria control. Better diagnostic testing and surveillance has provided a clearer picture of where we are on the ground - and has shown that there are countries eliminating malaria in all endemic regions of the world. WHO continually monitors this progress and ensures that these countries are fully supported in their efforts to be malaria -free."

Eliminating Malaria

The Global Malaria Eradication Program, which spanned from 1955 to 1972, is the earliest example of a deliberate attempt at interrupting mosquito-borne malaria transmission which resulted in nobody becoming ill in a specific geographical area.

During those 17 years, 20 countries became malaria-free, according to WHO. Unfortunately, during the subsequent 30 years sixteen countries became malaria affected again, leaving only 4 still free of the disease. This, according to WHO today, was "due to a massive reduction in efforts to control the disease."

The enormous ramping up of efforts since the beginning of this millennium has probably saved about 1.1 million lives just in Africa, the authors wrote. There has also been a 38% reduction in deaths from malaria. Affected countries have been encouraged by such promising results and have joined the malaria elimination efforts.

Professor Awa Marie Coll-Seck, Executive Director of the Roll Back Malaria Partnership, said:

"The extraordinary commitment, the concomitant financing, and the coordination of efforts to realize malaria targets over the last ten years have resulted in a situation today where we could see 10 more countries reaching a malaria-free status in a relatively short time. This will save many many more lives."

The Roll Back Malaria Partnership has decided to add another eight to ten countries in its aim to reach malaria free status by 2015 - this includes every nation in the WHO European Region.

Countries need universal coverage in the following areas in order to have a realistic chance of eliminating malaria completely:

• Diagnostic testing
• Effective malaria treatments
• Indoor residual spraying
• Insecticide-treated nets

Dr Richard Steketee, Science Director of the Malaria Control and Evaluation Partnership in Africa (MACEPA) at PATH, said:

"Eliminating malaria requires strong national leadership, commitment to quality programming, and highly effective surveillance systems that can rapidly detect and contain transmission. The global community must commit to sustained and predictable support to help move those ready countries across the elimination threshold."

Roll Back Malaria partners are attending the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Malaria forum to interchange strategies and ideas regarding the global target of malaria elimination, and eventual eradication.

What is the difference between elimination and eradication?

Elimination - not one single person suffers from the symptoms of the disease. The population is treated completely. However, whatever causes the disease - the pathogen (harmful parasite, bacteria, virus, fungus) - is still in the environment. There is still a risk of future outbreaks.

Eradication - the disease no longer exists in the population. The causative agent (pathogen, whatever causes the disease) has been completely destroyed. Global eradication has been achieved for smallpox.

Dr Robert Newman said:

"In 2011, with the highly effective interventions we have available, no one should die from malaria. If we can achieve universal access to and utilization of these measures, while making the required investments in people and health systems, as well as in the research required to develop tomorrow's transformative tools, then the country and regional goals of malaria elimination, and the global goal of eradicating this ancient scourge, will become a reality."

The life cycle of malaria parasites in the human body

• An infected mosquito takes a blood meal from a person (a person gets bitten by an infected mosquito
• Sporozoites enter the bloodstream and make their way to the liver. (Sporozoites are the undeveloped forms of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum).
• Sporozoites infect hepatocytes (liver cells). There they multiply into merozoites (identical daughter cells). They rupture the liver cells and make their way back into the bloodstream.
• The merozoites infect red blood cells. They develop into ring forms (trophozoites and schizonts) which multiply and produce even more merozoites. Gametocytes (sexual forms) are also produced.
• If another mosquito subsequently takes a blood meal from an infected person, it will become infected by the gametocytes, and will be able to continue the life cycle (infect other humans).

According to Medilexicon's medical dictionary, Malaria is:

"A disease caused by the presence of the sporozoan Plasmodium in human or other vertebrate erythrocytes, usually transmitted to humans by the bite of an infected female mosquito of the genus Anopheles that previously sucked blood from a person with malaria.

Human infection begins with the exoerythrocytic cycle in liver parenchyma cells, followed by a series of erythrocytic schizogenous cycles repeated at regular intervals; production of gametocytes in other erythrocytes provides future gametes for another mosquito infection; characterized by episodic severe chills and high fever, prostration, occasionally fatal termination."

Written by Christian Nordqvist
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

• Additional
• References
• Citations