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Last Added News
- Will There Be a New Pandemic?
- The article titled Portraits from Our Medical History: Dr. Tevfik Salim Sağlam has been published.
- The article titled Questions on Immunization and Vaccination and Short Answers has been published.
- Diphtheria Epidemiology in Türkiye Throughout History Has Been Published
- Portraits from Our Medical History: Dr. Elhan Özlüarda (1927-2013) Has Been Published
- ALL NEWS
25 April World Malaria Day
“World Malaria Day” has been commemorated by World Health Organization (WHO) every year on 25 April to raise awareness on malaria and how to eradicate this disease on earth since 2008.
Malaria is a life-threatening disease which is transmitted through bite of female Anopheles mosquito carrying plasmodium parasite and develops when these parasites infect red blood cells. The first symptoms of disease are headache and chill that generally emerge within 10-15 days following the bite of infectious mosquito. There are 5 species of plasmodium that may cause malaria in humans; among them, P. falciparum and P. vivax are the most threatening species. It is known that falciparum type malaria can progress with illness and death within 24 hours if not treated.
Nearly half of world’s population is at risk of malaria and the majority of this population is composed of people living in sub-Saharan African countries. Every year, more than about 500 million people is infected by this preventable and treatable disease. It is estimated that the number of cases reported worldwide in 2020 is 241 million and the number of deaths is 627 thousand. The most vulnerable group affected by malaria are children under 5 years old; it accounts for 80 percent of malaria deaths reported in the WHO Regional Office for Africa.
Personal protection and vector control against mosquito bites is the first defence in disease prevention.
Another method is to use preventive drug against disease. In October 2021, following the demonstration that RTS,S/AS01 malaria vaccine significantly reduced malaria and lethal severe malaria in young children, its widespread use was recommended in children living in areas defined as medium and high-risk for falciparum malaria transmission by WHO. RTS,S/AS01 is a pre-erythrocyte recombinant protein vaccine. It is recommended by WHO to be administered as four doses in the fifth month following the delivery of babies. It is recommended that the first three doses be administered one month apart, and the fourth dose 18 months after the third dose. More than 2.3 million doses of the RTS,S/AS01 malaria vaccine have been administered in three African countries so far, and its safety profile has been reported to be positive.
While malaria used to be a common disease in Türkiye in the past, domestic malaria transmission has ended as a result of successful activities carried out by the Ministry of Health. However, malaria cases originating from abroad are observed due to the presence of mosquito species that transmit malaria in Türkiye, climate and environmental factors, large population movements, and the increase in the number of people travelling to and coming from countries where malaria is endemic. Moreover, as the malaria risk still continues due to irregular migrants, the fact that Türkiye is located in the subtropical region where malaria can spread, and the increase in average air temperatures due to climate change, the studies carried out within the framework of the Malaria Elimination Programme are going on.
According to the legislation in Türkiye, the diagnosis of malaria can be made in all health institutions. However, the diagnosis of all malaria cases not linked to abroad should be confirmed by Provincial Public Health Laboratories and National Malaria Reference Laboratory (General Directorate of Public Health, Microbiology Reference Laboratories and Biological Products Department, National Parasitic Diseases Reference Laboratory).
Since the treatment of malaria patients differs according to the Plasmodium species detected, it is extremely important to distinguish between Plasmodium species in the diagnosis of malaria. The Provincial Public Health Laboratories and the National Malaria Reference Laboratory may give support for species distinction.
Malaria preventive drugs are provided free of charge at Travel Health Centres affiliated with the Ministry of Health. Malaria treatment drugs can be obtained from Provincial Health Directorates.