Malaria in sub-Saharan Africa has historically been almost exclusively attributed to Plasmodium falciparum (Pf). Current diagnostic and surveillance systems in much of sub-Saharan Africa are not designed to identify or report non-Pf human malaria infections accurately, resulting in a dearth of routine epidemiological data about their significance. The high prevalence of Duffy negativity provide...

BACKGROUND Malaria infections are a major public health problem in Africa and prompt treatment is one way of controlling the disease and saving lives. METHODS This cluster-randomised controlled community intervention conducted in 2003-2005 aimed at improving early malaria case management in under five children. Health workers were trained to train community-based women groups in recognizing m...

BACKGROUND Malaria control programmes need to protect young children, who bear the brunt of malaria disease and death in Africa. The development of a vaccine is a priority if improved and sustained malaria control is to be achieved. The best use of a vaccine in Africa will be achieved if it can be delivered through the expanded programme of immunization (EPI). We conducted a trial designed to e...

Background & literature review Malaria is a major public health and socioeconomic problem in sub-Saharan Africa including Tanzania. It is estimated that every year between 300 and 500 million clinical cases of malaria occur [1], and approximately one million deaths result as a direct consequence of infection with Plasmodium falciparum [2]. Malaria-related morbidity and mortality are more preval...

In contrast to the gradual reduction in the number of locally transmitted malaria cases in China, the number of imported malaria cases has been increasing since 2008. Here, we report a case of a 39-year-old Chinese man who acquired Plasmodium ovale wallikeri infection while staying in Ghana, West Africa for 6 months in 2012. Microscopic examinations of Giemsa-stained thin and thick blood smears...

BACKGROUND The probability that a returned traveller with a history of fever has malaria is likely to vary by geographical area, but this has not been quantified in travellers. AIM To collect data on prevalence of malaria in outpatients returning with a fever or history of fever from malaria-endemic countries, at the point of presentation for a malaria test. DESIGN Observational retrospecti...

BACKGROUND Asymptomatic malaria infection in refugees is both a threat to the lives of the individuals and the public in the host country. Although South Africa has been experiencing an unprecedented influx of refugees since 1994, data on malaria infection among refugees is lacking. Such information is critical since South Africa is among the countries that have planned to eliminate malaria. Th...

Introduction Malaria is a preventable disease but 3.4 billion people at risk globally with 207 million cases and 627 deaths reported in 2013. Africa accounts for 80% of cases and 90% of all malaria deaths. Nigeria accounts for 25% of malaria burden in Africa. The goal of malaria control is to reduce malaria –related transmissions, cases and deaths to a level where it is no longer a public healt...

There are currently several recommended drug regimens for uncomplicated falciparum malaria in Africa. Each has different properties that determine its impact on disease burden. Two major antimalarial policy options are artemether-lumefantrine (AL) and dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine (DHA-PQP). Clinical trial data show that DHA-PQP provides longer protection against reinfection, while AL is bette...

Longitudinal data examining travel-associated illness patterns are lacking. To address this need and determine trends and clusters in travel-related illness, we examined data for 2000-2010, prospectively collected for 42,223 ill travelers by 18 GeoSentinel sites. The most common destinations from which ill travelers returned were sub-Saharan Africa (26%), Southeast Asia (17%), south-central Asi...