Malaria remains a significant global health challenge, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), where asymptomatic cases contribute to ongoing transmission and hinder elimination efforts. Asymptomatic individuals act as hidden reservoirs, sustaining onward malaria transmission. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and risk factors of asymptomatic malaria in Mwandi...
Malaria transmission in Africa significantly declined between 2005 and 2015 due to widespread distribution of insecticide-treated nets (ITNs). However, since 2015, transmission has increased due to insecticide resistance and biting at times when people are not using ITNs. Spatial repellents (SRs) may help address these challenges. A double-blinded cluster-randomized controlled...
Zoonotic malaria is a growing public health concern in Southeast Asia, with Malaysia and Thailand accounting for 95.2% of the 3290 global cases reported in 2023. It is caused by Plasmodium species primarily adapted to long- and pig-tailed macaques, transmitted to humans via certain Anopheles mosquitoes. This meta-analysis quantifies its prevalence and risk factors in the Greater...
Multiple challenges hinder malaria control in Angola, including climatic variability, ineffective vector control, population displacement, socioeconomic inequalities, and increasing resistance to anti-malarial drugs and insecticides. These barriers have been further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, disrupting healthcare services and reversing prior gains. Despite a 36...
Current treatment guidelines for radical cure of Plasmodium vivax malaria recommend the use of 8-aminoquinolines, which can result in life-threatening complications in people with glucose-6-phsophate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency. Testing for this condition is recommended prior to administering such drugs. The Wondfo G6PD/Hb Test (Guangzhou Wondfo Biotech Co., Ltd., China) is a...
Vector control interventions using long-lasting insecticidal nets and indoor residual spraying are common tools deployed for the control of malaria in Uganda. To evaluate the effectiveness of these control tools and understand the prevailing malaria vectors, a study was conducted to determine the species composition, indoor resting population density and biting pattern of malaria...
In 2023, an estimated 36 million pregnancies occurred in malaria endemic sub-Saharan Africa, but only 44% received the WHO recommended ≥ 3 doses of intermittent preventive treatment (IPTp3). Group Antenatal Care (G-ANC) is a service delivery model associated with higher quality of and greater retention in ANC, in which pregnant women are enrolled into groups at their first ANC...
Rapid diagnostic test (RDT) results are the foundation of both case management and malaria surveillance across sub-Saharan Africa. However, RDT results may be misrecorded in health facility registers by healthcare workers (HCWs), either unintentionally or deliberately, for example, to justify treatment based on clinical judgment. A multi-country evaluation was conducted to...
Malaria has long been a global health priority, particularly in Eastern Africa, where it remains the leading cause of child mortality and a significant barrier to socioeconomic development. Despite extensive control efforts, ineffective programs, limited treatment access, and low distribution of artemisinin-based combination therapy, contribute to the persistent challenges...
Malaria continues to plague sub-Saharan Africa despite great efforts geared towards its mitigation. In Kenya alone, 70% of the population remains at risk for malaria every year. Malaria is spread by Anopheles mosquitoes carrying the Plasmodium parasite, and displays a complex ecology with various socio-economic, biophysical factors and meteorological predictors, particularly...
Congenital malaria (CM) is the direct infection of a neonate with malaria parasites from their mother before or during birth. Neonatal malaria (NM) is acquired through mosquito bites after birth during the neonatal period. Both congenital and neonatal malaria (NCM) are potentially life-threatening conditions. There is limited recognition and experience with NCM in the Tigray...
The International Health Regulations (IHR) developed and approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2005 provide an overarching legal framework that stipulates countries’ rights and obligations in handling and managing public health events and emergencies that may cross local and international borders. Sri Lanka established an IHR Steering Committee in 2016 providing an...
Before implementing vector control interventions, it is important to assess the mosquito species composition and their biting and resting behaviour. In preparation for an indoor residual spraying campaign for malaria control in Sakassou, Central Côte d’Ivoire, baseline entomological data were collected to characterize the local vector species composition and their biting...
Malaria is a serious global health issue with high morbidity and mortality rates, especially among children in sub-Saharan Africa. Guidelines recommend prescribing antimalarial drugs for parasitologically-confirmed malaria. However, limited studies in Ethiopia show variable adherence to antimalarial prescribing guidelines, and the policy’s effectiveness in improving clinical...
Malaria poses a significant global public health challenge yet there remains limited information on the influence of gender dynamics on malaria programmes despite the well-known gender-specific differentials in the prevalence, transmission and exposure to malaria. The 2024 World Malaria Report indicates that the burden of malaria and the challenges in addressing it remain severe...
Malaria, a global health challenge, remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, and South America. While traditionally associated with fever and systemic complications, the neurological impact of malaria, including stroke, has become a significant concern. This review aims to examine the incidence, clinical presentation...
Long-lasting insecticidal nets are the primary malaria vector control measure in coastal Kenya. In 2018, phenotypic resistance to pyrethroids and low frequency of L1014S kdr mutation were reported in the Anopheles gambiae complex. Since then, additional pyrethroid-treated nets were distributed in 2021. The objectives of this study were to determine the insecticide resistance...
Plasmodium vivax malaria remains a major challenge in the Asia–Pacific region, where National Malaria Programmes (NMPs) will need to determine optimal radical cure strategies given the availability of novel options, such as high-dose primaquine and tafenoquine. The Options Assessment Toolkit (OAT) was developed to assist NMPs to make decisions on the optimal combination of G6PD...
Global malaria control programmes such as approaches to community engagements to deliver malaria control interventions have been successful in controlling malaria. Strategies aimed at accelerating patients’ adherence to prescribed artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) are needed in the fight to control and eradicate malaria. Previous studies have shown the power of health...
Malaria in pregnancy poses significant public health challenges with severe consequences for mothers, fetuses, and newborns. Despite the proven efficacy of insecticide-treated nets (ITNs), the coverage rate among pregnant women, lactating mothers and young children in sub-Saharan Africa remains suboptimal. For example, in Sierra Leone, only 52% of pregnant women and 50% of...
Malaria remains a critical public health challenge in Nigeria, with the country bearing the highest global burden of the disease. Despite ongoing efforts, malaria continues to exact significant health, economic, and social tolls. Inspired by Egypt’s successful malaria elimination strategies, this study explores actionable interventions that Nigeria can adapt to achieve...
The presence of a community effect in cluster randomized trials of malaria vector control interventions has led to the implementation of “buffer zones” around clusters to limit the potential for contamination between interventions. No consensus has been reached on how large these buffers need to be to encapsulate the effect. Nested within a phase-III cluster randomized malaria...
Installing insecticidal netting on open eaves, windows, and holes in walls of unimproved houses is a potential malaria control tool. It prevents mosquito house-entry, induces lethal and sub-lethal effects on malaria vectors, and may reduce malaria transmission. Therefore, a household epidemiological trial was conducted to assess the efficacy of insecticide-treated screening (ITS...
In December 2024, L’Initiative-Expertise France organized a workshop in Musanze, Rwanda, for National Malaria Control and Elimination Programmes (NMC/EPs) representatives from 19 sub-Saharan African countries. The workshop focused on surveillance, modeling, climate forecasting, and innovative control methods to mitigate climate change impacts on malaria. Participants shared...