This study aims to determine the prevalence of malaria in Sabah and its potential risk factors.
To implement future malaria elimination strategies in French Guiana, a characterization of the infectious reservoir is recommended. A cross-sectional survey was conducted between October and December 2017 in the French Guianese municipality of St Georges de l’Oyapock, located along the Brazilian border. The prevalence of Plasmodium spp. was determined using a rapid diagnostic test (RDT) and a polymerase chain reaction (PCR).
G6PD enzyme deficiency is a common enzymatic X-linked disorder. Deficiency of the G6PD enzyme can cause free radical-mediated oxidative damage to red blood cells, leading to premature haemolysis. Treatment of Plasmodium vivax malaria with primaquine poses a potential risk of mild to severe acute haemolytic anaemia in G6PD deficient people. In this study, the prevalence and distribution of G6PD mutations were investigated across broad areas of Ethiopia, and tested the association between G6PD genotype and phenotype with the goal to provide additional information relevant to the use of primaquine in malaria treatment.
The article below was written by Dr. Bill Jobin and first posted as a comment under the most recent poll. I elevated it to a Guest editorial.
It is unfortunate that we have recently seen a great deal of confusion about the amount of malaria in Africa. The confusion arises because most of the people making the estimates are not scientists but artists; computer artists. It would be better if we relied on scientists. Computer artists, using their own data and their own inspirations, get varying answers and generate conflicting maps and graphs. But scientists, using standardized techniques and randomized sampling, get the same answers, no matter who is doing the work. We urgently need accurate numbers on malaria...
