Malaria in China

Sunday, July 19, 2009


Malaria in China



China has seen a resurgence of Malaria in recent years. "China reported about 24 million malaria cases in the 1970s, the number of cases declined to several hundred thousand by the late 1990s. However, the disease recently has "re-emerged" in China's central and southern provinces, possibly as a result of insufficient prevention work" (Global).



China suffers from Falciparum malaria which "is the most deadly among the four main types of human malaria. Although great success has been achieved since the launch of the National Malaria Control Programme in 1955, malaria remains a serious public health problem in China" (Lin). "Falciparum malaria was endemic in two provinces of China during 2004–05" (Lin). "The 'level one' areas have an annual malaria incidence of more than one case per 10,000 people, while the 'level two' regions have an annual incidence of less than one per 10,000 people" (Global).





Map provided by Travax



"Imported malaria was reported in 26 non-endemic provinces. Annual incidence of falciparum malaria was mapped at county level in the two endemic provinces of China: Yunnan and Hainan. The sex ratio (male vs. female) for the number of cases in Yunnan was 1.6 in the children of 0–15 years and it reached 5.7 in the adults over 15 years of age" (Lin).



The recent resurgence of malaria in China has prompted "China's Ministry of Health" to draft a "plan to eliminate malaria from the country by 2015" (Xinhuanet). "Central and local governments will provide funding for the malaria control programs, an unnamed official from the health ministry's disease control department said." "The plan aims to reduce malaria incidence to less than one case per 10,000 people in high-burden regions and to no cases in low-burden regions between 2010 and 2015" (Global).



Sources:

Global Health Reporting. "Malaria
China Develops Nationwide Malaria Eradication Plan". 10 April 2009.



Lin, Hualiang. Liang Lu, Linwei Tian, Shuisen Zhou, Haixia Wu, Yan Bi, Suzanne C Ho, Qiyong Liu. Spatial and temporal distribution of falciparum malaria in China.



Xinhuanet. "China lays out plans to quell malaria" http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-04/10/content_11163891.htm 10 April 2009.

Posted by Ana Revenant at 8:48 PM

Labels: china, disease, endemic, global, Health, infection, malaria, parasite
http://infectiousbitemalaria.blogspot.com/2009/07/malaria-in-china.html

China lays out plans to quell malaria

China's Ministry of Health announced Friday it has mapped out a draft plan to largely eradicate malaria by the end of 2015.


The major goal of the 2010-2015 plan is to reduce the incidence of malaria to below one confirmed case for every 10,000 people in the most seriously affected regions, and to zero in less affected areas.

The plan requires local health departments and medical institutions to use diagnostic technology, standardized treatment and health education to help prevent the disease more effectively.

Central and local governments would be responsible for funding malaria control programs, said an official with the ministry's disease control department, who declined to be named. He said the amount of investment would be decided only after the plan was finalized.

The number of Chinese infected with malaria dropped from 24 million in the early 1970s to several hundred thousand in the late1990s. China was basically free of malaria, except southwestern Yunnan Province and southernmost Hainan Province, at that time, according to the ministry.

However, the disease has re-emerged in central and southern provinces like Henan, Anhui and Hubei as well as Yunnan and Hainan since 2000 due to weakened prevention work.

A total of 26,358 cases and 22 deaths were reported nationwide last year.

The ministry classified malaria areas into two types. In level one -- the most seriously affected -- regions, cases had been reported between 2006 and 2008, and the annual prevalence rate was more than one per 10,000 people.

In level two regions, cases were also reported, but the prevalence was below one in every 10,000 people.

The ministry wants all level one regions and 20 percent of level two regions to control the prevalence below one per 10,000 by 2015, and 80 percent of level two regions become free from malaria.

The ministry proposed stepping up malaria awareness and prevention efforts in affected areas, including spraying insecticide indoors and using mosquito nets impregnated with delta-methrin, an insecticide, as recommended by the World Health Organization for malaria control.

By 2015, the use of the specially treated bed nets should be introduced in 95 percent of level one regions, according to the plan, which was published on the ministry's website Wednesday for public comment.

Source: http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90776/90785/6634732.html

Progress in malaria control in China


TANG Linhua 汤林华

http://www.cmj.org/periodical/PaperList.asp?id=LW8288

The incidence of mixed infections is nearly always underestimated. in simultaneous infection with P. flaciparum and P. vivax, the former suppresses the latter, and the primary vivax malaria infection may not appear until several weeks later.