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![Limpopo River Valley, indicating study area [14]](publication/370769631/figure/fig1/AS:11431281158649401@1684204004609/Limpopo-River-Valley-indicating-study-area-14.png)
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![Limpopo River Valley, indicating study area [14]](publication/370769631/figure/fig1/AS:11431281158649401@1684204004609/Limpopo-River-Valley-indicating-study-area-14_Q320.jpg)
Background: Over the past decade, implementation of multiple malaria control strategies in most countries has largely contributed to advance the global malaria elimination agenda. Nevertheless, in some regions, seasonal epidemics may adversely affect the health of local populations. In South Africa, Plasmodium falciparum malaria is still present, w...
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Background Malaria remains a significant threat to global health, with substantial economic and public health implications. In 2019, over 247 million cases of malaria were reported, resulting in 619,000 deaths. More than 42 million Brazilians are at risk of developing malaria, with cases concentrated in the Legal Amazon region (WHO, 2020). Malaria...
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... On the African continent, there is a vicious cycle of poverty and malaria [150]. Housing conditions and poor living environments are factors of malaria exposure [151]. Due to the low level of economic development of most African countries, health services and coverage are substandard, and the population has limited access to diagnostic services and effective treatment. ...
The African continent carries the greatest malaria burden in the world. Falciparum malaria especially has long been the leading cause of death in Africa. Climate, economic factors, geographical location, human intervention and unstable security are factors influencing malaria transmission. Due to repeated infections and early interventions, the proportion of clinically atypical malaria or asymptomatic plasmodium carriers has increased significantly, which easily lead to misdiagnosis and missed diagnosis. African countries have made certain progress in malaria control and elimination, including rapid diagnosis of malaria, promotion of mosquito nets and insecticides, intermittent prophylactic treatment in high-risk groups, artemisinin based combination therapies, and the development of vaccines. Between 2000 and 2022, there has been a 40% decrease in malaria incidence and a 60% reduction in mortality rate in the WHO African Region. However, many challenges are emerging in the fight against malaria in Africa, such as climate change, poverty, substandard health services and coverage, increased outdoor transmission and the emergence of new vectors, and the growing threat of resistance to antimalarial drugs and insecticides. Joint prevention and treatment, identifying molecular determinants of resistance, new drug development, expanding seasonal malaria chemo-prevention intervention population, and promoting the vaccination of RTS, S/AS01 and R21/Matrix-M may help to solve the dilemma. China’s experience in eliminating malaria is conducive to Africa’s malaria prevention and control, and China-Africa cooperation needs to be constantly deepened and advanced. Our review aims to help the global public develop a comprehensive understanding of malaria in Africa, thereby contributing to malaria control and elimination.
... A similar study substantiated this report, whereby a significant reduction in malaria cases from 1459 to 70 was observed between 2018 and 2019 [8]. When compared to the other two malaria-endemic provinces in South Africa, the Vhembe District Municipality had the highest malaria morbidity in 2017-2018 transmission season [9], whereas malaria in Nigeria is perennial and contributes the highest malaria burden globally, with 97% of the population at risk of infection with malaria [10]. Ibadan in the southwestern part of Nigeria, where the study was conducted, contributed 16% to the national malaria prevalence in 2021 [11], and malaria incidence rates in the six geopolitical zones showed that South West Nigeria has the lowest incidence of cases after the south east, with the northern regions bearing the lion's share [12]. ...
Background: Understanding the genetic structure of P. falciparum population in different regions is pivotal to malaria elimination. Genetic diversity and the multiplicity of infection are indicators used for measuring malaria endemicity across different transmission settings. Therefore, this study characterized P. falciparum infections from selected areas constituting pre-elimination and high transmission settings in South Africa and Nigeria, respectively. Methods: Parasite genomic DNA was extracted from 129 participants with uncomplicated P. falciparum infections. Isolates were collected from 78 participants in South Africa (southern Africa) and 51 in Nigeria (western Africa). Allelic typing of the msp1 and msp2 genes was carried out using nested PCR. Results: In msp1, the K1 allele (39.7%) was the most common allele among the South African isolates, while the RO33 allele (90.2%) was the most common allele among the Nigerian isolates. In the msp2 gene, FC27 and IC3D7 showed almost the same percentage distribution (44.9% and 43.6%) in the South African isolates, whereas FC27 had the highest percentage distribution (60.8%) in the Nigerian isolates. The msp2 gene showed highly distinctive genotypes, indicating high genetic diversity in the South African isolates, whereas msp1 showed high genetic diversity in the Nigerian isolates. The RO33 allelic family displayed an inverse relationship with participants’ age in the Nigerian isolates. The overall multiplicity of infection (MOI) was significantly higher in Nigeria (2.87) than in South Africa (2.44) (p < 0.000*). In addition, heterozygosity was moderately higher in South Africa (1.46) than in Nigeria (1.13). Conclusions: The high genetic diversity and MOI in P. falciparum that were observed in this study could provide surveillance data, on the basis of which appropriate control strategies should be adopted.
