Tabassum Shehroze, Kalsoom Tuaseen, Zaheer Zaofashan, Naeem Aroma, Afifi Ahmed, Ohadi Laya
King Edward Medical University Lahore Pakistan.
Benha University Faculty of Medicine Banha Egypt.
Health Sci Rep. 2023 Oct 10;6(10):e1620. doi: 10.1002/hsr2.1620. eCollection 2023 Oct.
Malaria is a parasitic infection primarily caused by four main species of the genus , that is, , , , and . It is transmitted through the bite of the female mosquito. It holds the status of one of the leading causes of death in the developing world. Malaria is endemic to Pakistan, and the country experienced the worst floods in its history from April to October 2022. The stagnant flood water served as a breeding ground for mosquitoes, culminating in an alarming spike in malaria cases. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the number of cases reported till August 2022 was more than in the whole year of 2021. There was more than a twofold rise in cumulative cases in 62 high-burden Pakistani Districts in August 2022 as compared to August 2021.
This commentary aims to bring this emerging issue to notice and highlight the most effective probable measures to help eliminate and prevent the hazards the current outbreak poses.
Rapid planning and execution are needed to ensure the most efficient and rapid elimination of malaria. To educate the general public, the national government must start public awareness efforts in electronic, print, and social media and deploy solar-powered mobile healthcare units to far-flung areas. Prophylactic and postexposure treatments should be planned because larvicidal preventive measures are less practical in flood-affected vicinities.
The most effective preventive strategy is drug prophylaxis, followed by insecticide-treated nets, indoor residual spraying, and untreated nets. Scientists should intensify their investigations for effective medications to alleviate the malaria burden in Pakistan.
疟疾是一种寄生虫感染，主要由疟原虫属的四种主要物种引起，即恶性疟原虫、间日疟原虫、三日疟原虫和卵形疟原虫。它通过雌性按蚊叮咬传播。疟疾是发展中世界主要死因之一。疟疾在巴基斯坦为地方病，该国在2022年4月至10月经历了历史上最严重的洪灾。积水成为蚊子的滋生地，导致疟疾病例惊人激增。据世界卫生组织（WHO）称，截至2022年8月报告的病例数超过了2021年全年。与2021年8月相比，2022年8月巴基斯坦62个高负担地区的累计病例增加了两倍多。
本评论旨在引起人们对这一新出现问题的关注，并强调最有效的可能措施，以帮助消除和预防当前疫情带来的危害。
需要迅速规划和执行，以确保最有效、最迅速地消除疟疾。为了教育公众，国家政府必须在电子、印刷和社交媒体上开展提高公众意识的工作，并向偏远地区部署太阳能移动医疗单位。应规划预防性和暴露后治疗，因为杀幼虫预防措施在受洪水影响地区不太实用。
最有效的预防策略是药物预防，其次是经杀虫剂处理的蚊帐、室内滞留喷洒和未处理的蚊帐。科学家应加强对有效药物的研究，以减轻巴基斯坦的疟疾负担。
