Malaria Journal最新文献

{"title":"Evaluation of in vitro drug-drug interactions of ivermectin and antimalarial compounds.","authors":"Phornpimon Tipthara, Rattawan Kullasakboonsri, Kevin C Kobylinski, Joel Tarning","doi":"10.1186/s12936-025-05516-1","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12936-025-05516-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Ivermectin is lethal to Anopheles mosquitoes and a novel approach to malaria transmission control. Ivermectin could be co-administered with antimalarial drugs in mass drug administration, seasonal malaria chemoprevention, or other chemoprevention approaches. Co-administration with antimalarial drugs may impact ivermectin metabolism and/or absorption, resulting in increased or decreased exposure to ivermectin.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>To evaluate potential CYP-mediated drug-drug interactions (DDIs), ivermectin (1 µM) was incubated with pooled human liver microsomes, with and without the most commonly used antimalarial drugs at concentrations approximating twofold to tenfold the peak concentrations achieved following standard treatment. The antimalarial drugs investigated were dihydroartemisinin, piperaquine, chloroquine, artesunate, pyronaridine, mefloquine, artemether, lumefantrine, primaquine, atovaquone, proguanil, tafenoquine, sulfadoxine, pyrimethamine, and amodiaquine. Samples (50 µL) were collected at 0, 15, 30, 45, 60, 90, 120, and 150 min of incubation and ivermectin concentrations were measured using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. The metabolism rate of ivermectin was evaluated based on the normalized peak area (%) of ivermectin over a total of 150 min of incubation, applying linear regression to derive the rate of metabolism. Antimalarial compounds resulting in notable impact on the rate of ivermectin metabolism with a relative difference ≥ 50% and ≥ 25% were considered to have a substantial and partial effect on the in vitro metabolism of ivermectin, respectively.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Compounds that had a substantial DDI effect on the in vitro metabolism of ivermectin included piperaquine (98%), mefloquine (91%), chloroquine (76%), proguanil (60%), and lumefantrine (51%). Compounds that a partial DDI effect on the in vitro metabolism of ivermectin included atovaquone (48%), artesunate (27%), and pyronaridine (25%). All other antimalarials evaluated showed an in vitro interaction of 8-23%.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Several of the commonly used antimalarial drugs, are mostly or in part metabolized by CYP3A4 and showed a notable DDI effect on the in vitro metabolism of ivermectin. This could potentially lead to clinically important pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic DDIs if co-administered, and needs to be evaluated in prospective clinical trials.</p>","PeriodicalId":18317,"journal":{"name":"Malaria Journal","volume":"24 1","pages":"290"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12462173/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145138099","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"No evidence of molecular markers of piperaquine resistance in southeastern Nigeria.","authors":"Moses Ikegbunam, Vasileios Tzirtziganis, Miriam Rodi, Linda Anagu, Lais Pessanha de Carvalho, Juliana Inoue, Jana Held","doi":"10.1186/s12936-025-05579-0","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12936-025-05579-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Artemisinin‑based combination therapy (ACT) remains the first‑line treatment for uncomplicated malaria, yet its long‑term efficacy is threatened by Plasmodium falciparum resistance to both artemisinin derivatives and partner drugs. Routine surveillance of clinical efficacy and molecular‑resistance markers is therefore essential. Piperaquine (PPQ), the partner drug in dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine (DHA‑PPQ) is already compromised in Southeast Asia, and key PPQ‑resistance mutations have begun to surface in parts of Africa. No such data are available from Nigeria. Three PPQ‑resistanceassociated singlenucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)-T93S, H97Y and F145Ilocated in exons 2 and 3 of the P. falciparum chloroquineresistance transporter gene (pfcrt), and copy‑number variation of plasmepsin 2/3 (pfpm2/3), were retrospectively investigated using 299 archived patient isolates collected in Awka (n = 200) and Onitsha (n = 99), South‑East Nigeria (2018-2019).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Allelic states at pfcrt codons 93, 97 and 145 were determined by nested PCR followed by Sanger sequencing. Pfpm2/3 copy number was quantified by real‑time qPCR, using β‑tubulin as the single‑copy reference. All assays incorporated PPQ‑resistant RF7 and wild‑type 3D7 control strains, plus no‑template controls.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>High‑quality amplification was achieved for 268 of 299 isolates (89.6%). None harboured the pfcrt T93S, H97Y or F145I mutations, and all exhibited single‑copy pfpm2 and pfpm3. Two novel exon‑2 variants (K115I and synonymous L111L) were each detected once (0.4%) and are regarded as neutral polymorphisms without known phenotypic impact.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The complete absence of validated PPQresistance markers indicates that piperaquine remains a viable partner drug in DHA‑PPQ for South‑East Nigeria. Nonetheless, because DHA‑PPQ is increasingly available over the counter, ongoing molecular and therapeutic‑efficacy surveillance is imperative to detect any future emergence of resistance.</p>","PeriodicalId":18317,"journal":{"name":"Malaria Journal","volume":"24 1","pages":"287"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12455774/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145131189","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Blood donors as a sentinel population for real-time malaria surveillance using the Sysmex XN-31: a one-year review from the National Blood Transfusion Centre in Burkina Faso.","authors":"Salam Sawadogo, Talent Hwandih, Jarob Saker, Thérèsa L Coetzer, Anna Paszkowska, Sidzabda C B Kompaoré, Marion Münster","doi":"10.1186/s12936-025-05588-z","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12936-025-05588-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The World Health Organization malaria burden estimates produced from incomplete clinical case reporting and often outdated household asymptomatic parasitaemia surveys in children < 5 years old, are unreliable. Surveillance target groups need to be expanded in line with the epidemiological shift in malaria-eliminating countries towards adults, and particularly men. Furthermore, new tools that can provide granular and timely data, critical to understanding geographic heterogeneity and enabling timely decision-making at the operational level, are needed. This prospective study aimed to demonstrate that blood donor malaria screening could serve as a time-sensitive complementary source of highly detailed malaria surveillance data.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Consecutive blood donations received from 16 August 2023 to 31 August 2024 at the Ouagadougou and Bobo-Dioulasso Regional Blood Transfusion Centres in Burkina Faso, covering 5 of 13 regions, were screened for malaria using the Sysmex XN-31 automated analyser. XN-31 results, donor age, sex, place of residence, collection date, were analysed using descriptive statistics, chi-squared, and logistic regression tests. Seasonal malaria patterns were compared with publicly available rainfall data.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Donor malaria prevalence was 5.91% (3164/53575) overall. Key predictors of malaria identified were age ≤ 30 years (odds ratio (OR) 2.85, p < 0.001), male sex (OR 1.47, p < 0.001) and rural residency (OR 2.40, p < 0.001), with regional location having a strong influence on the latter. Strong seasonal variability, mirroring that of rainfall with a 3-month lag, was observed with different peak periods and rate of change over time at provincial level. Hot-spots were observed within both Bobo-Dioulasso and Ouagadougou. There were no age or sex-based differences in parasite density or gametocyte carriage, and both measures were directly proportional to malaria prevalence. Only males showed striking seasonal variability in gametocyte carriage (low season 1.39%, 14/1006; high season 4.42%, 66/1494; p < 0.001).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The large data set and spatiotemporal malaria prevalence information, not possible with episodic household malaria surveys, facilitated highly granular analysis and demonstrated the potential to provide dynamic real-time information on the malaria burden using automated XN-31 blood donor malaria screening.</p>","PeriodicalId":18317,"journal":{"name":"Malaria Journal","volume":"24 1","pages":"288"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12455842/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145131221","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Correction: Household practices and infrastructure associated with high Plasmodium falciparum infection rates among children under five years old in Northern Uganda.","authors":"Richard Echodu, Christopher Nyeko, Jacob Okot, Tereza Iwiru, Vivian Nakiwu, Frida Aryemo, Sandra Ajolorwot","doi":"10.1186/s12936-025-05496-2","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12936-025-05496-2","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":18317,"journal":{"name":"Malaria Journal","volume":"24 1","pages":"286"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12433000/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145054703","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Strengthening country ownership of national antimalarial policymaking: insights from Laos, Pakistan and the Solomon Islands.","authors":"Varunika S H Ruwanpura, Vilayphone Phongchantha, Ric N Price, Koen Peeters Grietens, Kamala Thriemer, Caroline A Lynch","doi":"10.1186/s12936-025-05510-7","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12936-025-05510-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The concept of \"ownership\" in global health policymaking broadly assumes that external donors and advisors expect recipient countries to actively steward their national programmes when assistance is provided. This study specifically explored country ownership of national policy decision-making for Plasmodium vivax malaria using three case studies: Laos, Pakistan and the Solomon Islands.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Yin's comparative case study model, Kingdon's Multiple Streams policy theory guided this analysis. From 2021 to 2024, interviews were undertaken with 29 national stakeholders, external partners and relevant global stakeholders.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>There were four main findings: firstly, national malaria programme respondents expressed strong ownership of internal antimalarial policy processes but acknowledged nuanced influence of external donors on the national policymaking space. Second, in countries relying on external funding, antimalarial policy change is mainly triggered by the World Health Organization's (WHO) recommendations and WHO national support was identified as a key enabler of policy change. Third, external donors often influence, or outline policy directions aligned with WHO recommendations, but policy change is also driven by antimalarial tools procurement constraints. Fourth, timing of updated WHO recommendations may not align with countries' needs. Yet many malaria endemic countries face pressure from external funders, that resource national policy decision-making, to adhere to WHO recommendations, although the WHO considers its recommendations as advisory only. Overall, these external influences moderate country ownership of national policy change.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This study indicates that there is potential to strengthen country ownership of national antimalarial policymaking. This may require application of targeted policy acceleration levers such as better alignment of timing of global guidance with country needs and an understanding between external donors and national stakeholders that WHO guidance is advisory only and should be understood as one perspective relative to country needs.</p>","PeriodicalId":18317,"journal":{"name":"Malaria Journal","volume":"24 1","pages":"283"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12403353/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144959131","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Anopheles species associated with malaria transmission in gold-mining areas of northwest Colombia.","authors":"Marco Andrés Rojas, Martha Liliana Ahumada, María Camila Velasco-Pareja, Pablo Chaparro, María Fernanda Yasnot-Acosta, Lorena Isabel Orjuela","doi":"10.1186/s12936-025-05551-y","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12936-025-05551-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>In Colombia, mining is one of the main economic activities in four eco-epidemiological areas that contributes approximately 80% of annual malaria cases. Mining activity generates changes in the environment and creates newly available breeding sites to be colonized by malaria vector mosquitoes, which increases the risk of malaria transmission. The study aimed to identify the presence of Anopheles species and their role in malaria transmission in five malaria-endemic localities with gold mining extraction in El Bagre, Antioquia, Colombia.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A cross-sectional study was conducted in five localities of El Bagre, Antioquia where adult mosquitoes were collected indoors and outdoors. The taxonomic status of the Anopheles species was confirmed through COI sequencing. All mosquitoes were tested by ELISA to establish infection with Plasmodium spp., and infections were confirmed using nested PCR. Larval habitats were characterized to evaluate the association between Anopheles larval abundance and physical and biological parameters.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Eleven Anopheles species were identified. Six specimens were positive for PCR Plasmodium test: Anopheles darlingi infected with Plasmodium falciparum, Anopheles nuneztovari s.s., and Anopheles punctimacula infected with Plasmodium vivax. The entomological inoculation rate (EIR) varied across localities ranging from 1.5 to 6.6 infective bites/person/month. The Anopheles species were collected from natural and artificial man-made excavations for gold mining, nevertheless, the physical and biological parameters examined did not show a significant association with their abundance in either type of larval habitat.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The results confirm the role of An. darlingi, An. nuneztovari s.s. and An. punctimacula as malaria vectors. The presence of their immature stages in gold mining excavations identified these habitats as potential breeding sites for Anopheles species in El Bagre. In these areas, implementing larval source management might be recommended as a supplementary measure for LLINs and IRS in the malaria vector program.</p>","PeriodicalId":18317,"journal":{"name":"Malaria Journal","volume":"24 1","pages":"285"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12403427/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144959729","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"MALDI-TOF MS for identification of Afro-tropical secondary malaria vectors.","authors":"Mercy Tuwei, Jonathan Karisa, Caroline Wanjiku, Caroline Kiuru, Zedekiah Ondieki, Tobias Odongo, Festus Mure, Bruno Otieno, Peter Meli, Miguel Okoko, Brian Bartilol, Rehema Gona, Luis Constantino, Gildo Cole, Trisa Anastácio, Romário Armazia, Claudia Alves, Picardo Rui, Edith Ramaita, Martin Rono, Baltazar Candrinho, Joseph Mwangangi, Charles Mbogo, Derek Charlwood, Francisco Saute, Regina Rabinovich, Carlos Chaccour, Marta Ferreira Maia","doi":"10.1186/s12936-025-05549-6","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12936-025-05549-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Characterizing malaria epidemiology at the local level requires understanding the diverse malaria vector species driving transmission, including both primary and secondary vectors. Effective mosquito surveillance and accurate species identification are critical; however, due to the associated cost and complexity, most surveillance strategies mainly focus on the primary malaria vectors. There is a need for cost-effective methods that can reliably identify both primary and secondary vectors as their role in transmission becomes increasingly important while reaching towards elimination. This study aimed to evaluate the use of MALDI-TOF MS as a sustainable tool for identifying secondary malaria vector.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Adult mosquitoes were collected in Kenya and Mozambique and morphologically identified. Secondary malaria vectors were considered as any Anopheline that did not pertain to Anopheles gambiae sensu lato (s.l.). or Anopheles funestus sensu lato (s.l.). At KEMRI Wellcome Trust Research Programme, MALDI TOF MS spectra were obtained from individual cephalothoraxes. Library creation and querying were guided by confirmatory species identification using Sanger sequencing of a subset of mosquitoes, targeting the Internal Transcribed Spacer 2 (ITS2) region of nuclear ribosomal DNA and the mitochondrial Cytochrome c Oxidase Subunit I (COI) gene. The libraries were then applied for the identification of other secondary malaria vectors.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Species identification of secondary malaria vectors using MALDI-TOF MS showed high concordance with Sanger sequencing with an overall accuracy of 91% and a kappa value of 0.87. The technique demonstrated a sensitivity and specificity of 100% for most species, except for distinguishing between Anopheles cf. coustani 2 NFL-2015 and Anopheles ziemanni. In Kenya, the Anopheles species identified were Anopheles cf. coustani 2 NFL-2015 (19), Anopheles pretoriensis (6), Anopheles rufipes (8), Anopheles ziemanni (8), Anopheles coustani (2), and Anopheles pharoensis (1). In Mozambique, the identified species comprised: An. cf. coustani 2 NFL-2015 (10), An. pretoriensis (2), An. ziemanni (7), An. coustani (28), and An. pharoensis (4).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The results provide evidence that MALDI-TOF can identify secondary malaria vectors from Eastern and Southeastern African regions. This technique was as efficient as DNA sequencing in identifying mosquito species. Indeed, except for An. cf coustani 2NFL-2015 and An. ziemanni, an exact species identification was obtained for all individual mosquitoes. These findings highlight the potential of MALDI-TOF MS for monitoring malaria vectors.</p>","PeriodicalId":18317,"journal":{"name":"Malaria Journal","volume":"24 1","pages":"284"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12403918/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144959831","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Patterns of patent and sub-patent Plasmodium falciparum infections in household members of children under seasonal malaria chemoprevention coverage in the health district of Nanoro, Burkina Faso.","authors":"Sié A Elisée Kambou, Paul Sondo, Bérenger Kabore, Ipéné Mylène Carenne Bayala, Amélé Fifi Chantal Kouevi, Eulalie W Compaore, Kié Solange Millogo, Bouda Ismaïla, Toussaint Rouamba, Adama Kazienga, Derra Karim, Eli Rouamba, Prabin Dahal, Sabina D Otienoburu, Jaishree Raman, Mehul Dhorda, Sanata Bamba, Philippe J Guérin, Halidou Tinto","doi":"10.1186/s12936-025-05453-z","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12936-025-05453-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) has been adopted since 2014 in Burkina Faso to reduce malaria burden in children under 5 years. However, the intervention's expected potential has not yet been achieved in real-life conditions, suggesting other factors may influence its effectiveness. Asymptomatic carriers, including patent and sub-patent Plasmodium falciparum infections in household members seems to be a potential factor maintaining the high malaria burden in children under SMC coverage. This study assessed the patterns of these infections in household members living around children under SMC coverage in Nanoro, Burkina Faso.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A cross-sectional survey nested to a large SMC study named \"SMC_RST\" was conducted during the 2022 SMC campaign in Nanoro, including 745 participants. Sub-patent infections were defined as varATS qPCR-positive/RDT-negative, and patent infections as positive by both methods. Prevalence of patent and sub-patent malaria infections were presented with 95% confidence intervals (CI), accounting for clustering of individuals within households. Multinomial regression with robust standard errors assessed the effect of age, sex, and locations on risk of malaria infection.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Out of 745 participants, diagnostic results regarding malaria status were available for 650 (87.2%). Plasmodium falciparum infections in household members were detected in 68.6% (446/650, 95% CI: 64.7-72.5), including 27.4% (178/650, 95% CI: 23.9-30.8) patent and 41.2% (268/650, 95% CI: 37.3-45.2) sub-patent infections. Patent infections declined with age: 37.7%, (95% CI: 31.9-43.5) among 5-14 years, 25% (95% CI: 17.0-33.0) among 15-24 years, and 17.1% (95% CI: 12.6-21.5) among ≥ 25 years. Prevalence of sub-patent infection was 38.0% (95% CI: 32.4-43.7) among 5-14 years, 49.2% (95% CI:40.3-58.1) among 15-24 years and 40.7% (95% CI: 34.5-46.8) among ≥ 25 years. No significant difference across villages was observed in terms of prevalence of household members with patent (χ² = 4.16, P-value = 0.38) or sub-patent infections (χ² = 3.92, P-value = 0.41).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Over two-thirds of the household members living with children under SMC coverage area in Nanoro, Burkina Faso, harboured patent and sub-patent P. falciparum infection. Among those aged 15 years and older, asymptomatic carriage was largely sub-patent. This study supports the extension of the SMC intervention to school-aged children and the implementation of interventions such as testing and treatment of household members of children under SMC coverage.</p>","PeriodicalId":18317,"journal":{"name":"Malaria Journal","volume":"24 1","pages":"281"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12400762/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144959805","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Contributions of health education and social mobilization in the implementation of a malaria control programme using long-lasting insecticidal nets.","authors":"Fábio Medeiros da Costa, Moreno Magalhães de Souza Rodrigues, Vera Margarete Scarpassa","doi":"10.1186/s12936-025-05541-0","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12936-025-05541-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Malaria is an infectious disease transmitted by mosquitoes of the genus Anopheles that represents a significant global health challenge, particularly in tropical and subtropical regions. In malaria-endemic areas, malaria control programmes have widely adopted long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) and insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) as primary protection strategies against mosquito bites to interrupt transmission. To achieve maximum efficiency with these tools, proper community orientation through Health Education and Social Mobilization Strategies (HESMS) is necessary. This study aimed to assess the effects of these activities on the rates of diagnosis and treatment-seeking behaviour, and use of LLINs in the reduction of malaria cases among the local population.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>From January 2010 to December 2012, intensive HESMS were implemented in 10 rural communities in Porto Velho, Rondônia, Brazil. These strategies included the mass distribution of 8,083 LLINs, training people, workshops and regular monitoring of proper washing and maintenance practices. The intervention took place in an area influenced by the Jirau Hydroelectric Power Plant.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Training of local endemic agents facilitated an acceptance rate of 99.93% for LLINs usage. However, our data did not indicate any reduction in the looking for malaria diagnosis < 24 h after a symptom appear. Only Villages of Abunã and Imbaúba-Jirau reported malaria cases consistently. Monthly median cases during the pre-intervention period were, respectively, 24 (IQR: 5-61) and 7 (1 - 34) for Villages Abunã and Imbaúba-Jirau. Additionally, in these localities the proportion of patients who seek for treatment less than 24 h after the first symptom was, respectively, 65% (SD = 19%) and 61% (SD = 31%) for Villages Abunã and Imbaúba-Jirau. Most residents (92.13%) had sufficient LLINs available for all household members, with 57.41% reporting consistent use of mosquito nets on most nights and adherence to appropriate washing and drying practices, as directed.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Although ESMS actions were important for the community's acceptance of LLINs installation, they did not demonstrate a reduction in the demand for malaria diagnosis within 24 h after the onset of initial symptoms.</p>","PeriodicalId":18317,"journal":{"name":"Malaria Journal","volume":"24 1","pages":"282"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12400537/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144959838","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Malaria care-seeking behaviours and infection prevalence among short-term Myanmar migrants in Thailand.","authors":"Pyae Linn Aung, Piyarat Sripoorote, Nichakan Inthitanon, Yupaporn Wattanagoon, Raph L Hamers, Jennifer Ilo Van Nuil, Liwang Cui, Wang Nguitragool, Leigh Jones, Anindita Gabriella Sudewo, Jetsumon Sattabongkot, Daniel M Parker","doi":"10.1186/s12936-025-05539-8","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12936-025-05539-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The recent resurgence of malaria in western Thailand has coincided with increased cross-border migration from Myanmar following political unrest. As short-term migrants from endemic areas may contribute to sustained local transmission, this study examined their malaria care-seeking behaviours and infection prevalence.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted during March-April 2025 in six malaria-endemic villages of Tha Song Yang District, Tak Province, western Thailand. A structured questionnaire was administered, including a nine-item section on care-seeking behaviours. Malaria prevalence was determined by PCR testing of dried blood spot samples. Determinants of care-seeking scores were analysed using a generalized linear model, and infection risk was estimated using Firth logistic regression.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Among 300 participants (mean age: 34.5 ± 14.5 years; 47.3% male), over 60% recognised the need to seek care for fever or chills, yet only 35% reported doing so within 24 h of symptom onset. Although 98.0% preferred public health facilities, only 50.3% had ever visited one for suspected malaria. Higher care-seeking scores were associated with being a daily wage labourer (β = 0.66; 95% CI 0.01-1.31), infrequent return to Myanmar (β = 1.34; 95% CI 0.05-2.62), prior malaria experience (β = 1.08; 95% CI 0.59-1.58), and higher malaria knowledge (β = 0.34; 95% CI 0.24-0.44). Karen ethnicity was negatively associated with care-seeking (β = - 0.95; 95% CI - 1.74 to - 0.16). Six (2%) afebrile Plasmodium vivax infections were detected. Lower malaria knowledge (OR = 13.5; 95% CI 1.58-177.0) and care-seeking scores (OR = 5.86; 95% CI 1.15-57.7) were significantly associated with infection.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Despite generally positive attitudes toward malaria, self-reported timely care-seeking among short-term Myanmar migrants remained limited. Socioeconomic status, migration patterns, ethnicity, and malaria knowledge significantly influenced care-seeking behaviours. The detection of asymptomatic P. vivax underscores the need for migrant-focused surveillance and targeted health education to support malaria elimination efforts.</p>","PeriodicalId":18317,"journal":{"name":"Malaria Journal","volume":"24 1","pages":"280"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12400559/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144959817","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}