Malaria Control and Elimination: How Far we are: An Opinion Article

[摘要] Malaria is caused by four Plasmodium species in humans (P.falciparum, P. vivax, P. malariae and P. ovale) which spread from oneperson to another via the bite of female Anopheles mosquito. P.falciparum causes most deaths from malaria and is most prevalent onthe African continent whereas P. vivax has a wider geographicaldistribution. According to the latest WHO estimates, released inDecember 2015, there were 214 million cases of malaria in 2015 and438,000 deaths. Existing strategies to control malaria include vectorcontrol, chemoprevention and case management [1]. Нere arecurrently no licensed vaccines against malaria. RTS, S/AS01 is the onlyongoing research vaccine against P. falciparum, which might still take 3to 5 years to come out, if safety and eوٴectiveness are consideredacceptable. Нus, in absence of a successful vaccine, malaria controlrelies on the use of anti-malarial drugs.