Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
Acta Trop. 2012 Mar;121(3):202-6. doi: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2011.06.012. Epub 2011 Jul 2.
The burden of malaria has decreased dramatically within the past several years in parts of sub-Saharan Africa, following the scale-up of interventions supported by the Roll Back Malaria Partnership, the President's Malaria Initiative and other partners. It is important to appreciate that the reductions in malaria have not been uniform between and within countries, with some areas experiencing resurgence instead. Furthermore, while interventions have greatly reduced the burden of malaria in many countries, it is also recognized that the malaria decline pre-dated widespread intervention efforts, at least in some cases where data are available. This raises more questions as what other factors may have been contributing to the reduction in malaria transmission and to what extent. The International Center of Excellence for Malaria Research (ICEMR) in Southern Africa aims to better understand the underlying malaria epidemiology, vector ecology and parasite genomics using three contrasting settings of malaria transmission in Zambia and Zimbabwe: an area of successful malaria control, an area of resurgent malaria and an area where interventions have not been effective. The Southern Africa ICEMR will capitalize on the opportunity to investigate the complexities of malaria transmission while adapting to intervention and establish the evidence-base to guide effective and sustainable malaria intervention strategies. Key approaches to attain this goal for the region will include close collaboration with national malaria control programs and contribution to capacity building at the individual, institutional and national levels.
在过去几年中，在得到抗击疟疾伙伴关系、总统疟疾倡议和其他合作伙伴支持的干预措施的大规模推广下，撒哈拉以南非洲部分地区的疟疾负担显著下降。重要的是要认识到，疟疾的减少在国家之间和国家内部并不均匀，一些地区反而出现了疫情反弹。此外，虽然干预措施大大减轻了许多国家的疟疾负担，但也认识到，在至少一些有数据的情况下，疟疾的下降早于广泛的干预措施。这引发了更多的问题，例如还有哪些其他因素可能有助于减少疟疾的传播，以及在多大程度上有助于减少疟疾的传播。南部非洲国际疟疾研究卓越中心（ICEMR）旨在利用赞比亚和津巴布韦三种不同的疟疾传播环境（一个成功控制疟疾的地区、一个疟疾反弹的地区和一个干预措施无效的地区），更好地了解疟疾的潜在流行病学、病媒生态学和寄生虫基因组学。南部非洲 ICEMR 将利用这一机会调查疟疾传播的复杂性，同时适应干预措施，并建立证据基础，以指导有效和可持续的疟疾干预战略。该地区实现这一目标的关键方法包括与国家疟疾控制规划密切合作，并为个人、机构和国家各级的能力建设做出贡献。
