Human behavioural and occupational factors play a critical role in sustaining malaria transmission. This study aimed to identify factors associated with poor levels of knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) and factors influencing risk behaviours among at-risk populations. A survey of 402 at-risk individuals was conducted in Sisaket Province in late 2022, where substantial...
The introduction of malaria rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) has expanded the parasitological confirmation of malaria at all levels of health systems in sub-Saharan Africa, improving case management and surveillance. However, concerns persist regarding healthcare worker adherence to RDT outcomes and the accuracy of RDT results recorded in health facility registers. Electronic RDT...
Malaria remains a significant public health challenge, particularly in underdeveloped regions like sub-Saharan Africa, where environmental, housing, and socioeconomic factors drive its spread. This study aims to identify spatial patterns and key determinants of malaria infection among households across 19 sub-Saharan African countries to inform targeted interventions and policy...
Transmission of vector-borne pathogens follows daily rhythms, occurring at the time of day that vectors forage for blood. Control measures, such as insecticide-treated bed nets (ITNs), have been particularly successful for reducing malaria transmission because they exploit the nocturnal biting behaviour of the Anopheles spp. that vector malaria. However, shifts in biting...
Malaria continues to pose a major threat despite numerous efforts aimed at reducing its incidence and ultimately eliminating the disease. The majority of malaria cases occur in Africa. According to the World Health Organization, one of the key reasons for the continued presence of malaria is financial constraints. It is, therefore, crucial to make the most efficient use of the...
Malaria is a global public health concern and a leading cause of morbidity and mortality, especially in children under the age of 5 years. In Kenya, it is among the top ten causes of morbidity and mortality as reported in the Kenya Health Information System (KHIS2). Adequate inventory levels of antimalarial medicines and rapid diagnostic test (RDT) kits must be available for...
Malaria is more prevalent in rural areas than the urban environment partly due to less availability of Anopheles breeding habitats of natural origin in urban settings. However, recent studies have reported an increase in malaria cases in urban areas, possibly due to an increase in urban irrigated vegetable farming, open sewers, and discarded containers creating mosquito breeding...
Malaria remains a preventable and treatable disease; however, recent efforts to reduce mortality have plateaued. Although artemisinin-based combination therapy demonstrates high efficacy in controlled clinical settings, its real-world effectiveness is often compromised by suboptimal patient adherence. Specifically, the artemether–lumefantrine regimen, administered twice daily...
The risk of malaria transmission varies between rural and urban areas. Environmental characteristics and habitat structure can explain this variation. Understanding these factors is crucial for the informed selection of existing and new vector control tools. This study investigated how housing and household characteristics affect vector abundance and malaria incidence in a semi...
With an estimated 247 million cases and 619,000 deaths reported worldwide in 2021, malaria remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality. The World Health Organization (WHO) Africa region accounts for most cases and deaths. As children under the age of five are especially vulnerable to malaria, seeking care for a febrile child within 24 hours of the start of a fever at a...
Within sub-Saharan Africa, Uganda carries the third largest burden of malaria with 5% of global cases. Due to the stochastic nature of malaria incidence, resource allocation of preventive measures, rapid diagnostic tests, and chemotherapeutics is a significant challenge. To better identify areas at risk and address the challenge of resource allocation, this study aimed to: (1...
Ivermectin is lethal to Anopheles mosquitoes and a novel approach to malaria transmission control. Ivermectin could be co-administered with antimalarial drugs in mass drug administration, seasonal malaria chemoprevention, or other chemoprevention approaches. Co-administration with antimalarial drugs may impact ivermectin metabolism and/or absorption, resulting in increased or...
Artemisinin‑based combination therapy (ACT) remains the first‑line treatment for uncomplicated malaria, yet its long‑term efficacy is threatened by Plasmodium falciparum resistance to both artemisinin derivatives and partner drugs. Routine surveillance of clinical efficacy and molecular‑resistance markers is therefore essential. Piperaquine (PPQ), the partner drug in...
The World Health Organization malaria burden estimates produced from incomplete clinical case reporting and often outdated household asymptomatic parasitaemia surveys in children < 5 years old, are unreliable. Surveillance target groups need to be expanded in line with the epidemiological shift in malaria-eliminating countries towards adults, and particularly men. Furthermore...
The concept of “ownership” in global health policymaking broadly assumes that external donors and advisors expect recipient countries to actively steward their national programmes when assistance is provided. This study specifically explored country ownership of national policy decision-making for Plasmodium vivax malaria using three case studies: Laos, Pakistan and the Solomon...
Characterizing malaria epidemiology at the local level requires understanding the diverse malaria vector species driving transmission, including both primary and secondary vectors. Effective mosquito surveillance and accurate species identification are critical; however, due to the associated cost and complexity, most surveillance strategies mainly focus on the primary malaria...
The recent resurgence of malaria in western Thailand has coincided with increased cross-border migration from Myanmar following political unrest. As short-term migrants from endemic areas may contribute to sustained local transmission, this study examined their malaria care-seeking behaviours and infection prevalence. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted during...
Malaria is an infectious disease transmitted by mosquitoes of the genus Anopheles that represents a significant global health challenge, particularly in tropical and subtropical regions. In malaria-endemic areas, malaria control programmes have widely adopted long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) and insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) as primary protection strategies against...
Insecticide-treated net (ITN) coverage indicators allow country malaria programmes to understand the overall coverage of their ITN distribution activities and can be used to forecast the need for additional ITN procurement and to plan future distribution campaigns. As a result, more frequent data collection could better guide programme strategies, particularly for those...
Vector control has played a pivotal role in malaria control and elimination efforts, with insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) recognized as one of the most effective and widely accepted strategies. This study assessed ITN use and identified factors associated with non-use among individuals with access to ITNs in Myanmar. Data were drawn from the nationally representative 2015–2016...
Malaria remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among pregnant women and children under five in sub-Saharan Africa. Despite over two decades of efforts including insecticide-treated net (ITN) distribution and intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy (IPTp), universal and equitable coverage has not been achieved. In Ghana, coverage disparities persist...
Long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) have been distributed and installed in the Dominican Republic since 2008, and they remain the main vector control intervention used to pursue malaria elimination in the country. However, LLIN performance remains unclear due to a lack of monitoring over the past decade. A cross-sectional household survey was conducted to monitor LLIN coverage...
In malaria elimination settings, cases tend to cluster geographically and occur among certain subpopulations. Clustering is often related to specific factors such as occupation or mobility, which increase an individual’s risk for malaria infection. A case–control study was conducted to identify malaria high-risk populations (HRPs) in Zanzibar. Patients presenting with symptoms of...
Effective malaria surveillance is a key strategy for malaria control in sub-Saharan Africa. In 2012, Uganda rolled out the District Health Information System, version 2 (DHIS2), however, the quality of the DHIS2 malaria surveillance data is questionable. The primary objective of this study was to assess the level of concordance between the DHIS2 and facility source documents on...
Accurate estimates of malaria burden are crucial for allocating resources and designing effective control strategies. However, global reports often underestimate the burden in low- and middle-income countries, especially beyond the African region. This study addresses this gap by providing a longitudinal time-series analysis of malaria burden and spatio-temporal distribution in...