Publication: Malaria trends and challenges in the greater mekong subregion
Issued Date
2009-07-01
Resource Type
ISSN
01251562
Other identifier(s)
2-s2.0-68649088845
Rights
Mahidol University
Rights Holder(s)
SCOPUS
Bibliographic Citation
Southeast Asian Journal of Tropical Medicine and Public Health. Vol.40, No.4 (2009), 674-691
Suggested Citation
Charles Delacollette, Carol D'Souza, Eva Christophel, Krongthong Thimasarn, Rashid Abdur, David Bell, Tran Cong Dai, Deyer Gopinath, Shaohong Lu, Raymond Mendoza, Leonard Ortega, Rakesh Rastogi, Chawalit Tantinimitkul, John Ehrenberg Malaria trends and challenges in the greater mekong subregion. Southeast Asian Journal of Tropical Medicine and Public Health. Vol.40, No.4 (2009), 674-691. Retrieved from: https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/20.500.14594/28039
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Title
Malaria trends and challenges in the greater mekong subregion
Abstract
This report provides an overview of the epidemiological patterns of malaria in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) from 1998 to 2007, and highlights critical challenges facing national malaria control programs and partners in effort to build on their successes as they move towards malaria pre-elimination and elimination as a programmatic goal. Epidemiological data provided by malaria programs show a drastic decline in malaria deaths and confirmed malaria positive cases over the last 10 years in the GMS. More than half of confirmed malaria cases and deaths recorded in the GMS occur in Myanmar, however, reporting methods and data management are not comparable between countries despite effort made by WHO to harmonize data collection, analysis and reporting among WHO Member States. Malaria is concentrated in forested/forest-fringe areas of the region mainly along international borders providing strong rationale to develop harmonized cross-border pre-elimination programs in conjunction with national efforts. Across the Mekong Region, the declining efficacy of recommended first-line antimalarials, eg artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) against falciparum malaria on the Cambodia-Thailand border, the prevalence of counterfeit and substandard antimalarial drugs, the lack of health services in general and malaria services in particular in remote settings, and the lack of information and services targeting migrants and mobile population present important barriers to reach or maintain malaria pre-elimination programmatic goals. Strengthening networking between research institutions and non-government organizations will increase knowledge-based decision and action.