2017 World Malaria Control

Shin Hyun-Il, Lee Sang-Eun, Ku Bora, Kim Tae Yun, and Cho Shin-Hyeong
Division of Vectors and Parasitic Diseases, Center for Laboratory Control of Infectious Diseases, KCDC

Background: Among 5 species of malaria, Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax are important and critical. P. falciparum is most prevalent in the African continent and is responsible for most malaria-related deaths, but P. vivax has a wider geographical distribution than P. falciparum.
Current status: By 2016, it had been estimated that the number of malaria cases increased to 216 million and the number of deaths to 445,000. Regionally, the World Health Organization (WHO) had estimated that most cases in 2016 occurred in Africa (90%), followed by the South-East Asia (7%) and the Eastern Mediterranean region (2%). Similarly, it was estimated that in 2015, most deaths (90%) occurred in African, followed by South-East Asia (7%) and the Eastern Mediterranean region (2%). Globally, more countries are moving forward to elimination; the number of countries with less than 10,000 malaria cases increased from 37 in 2010 to 44 in 2016. In 2016, Kyrgyzstan and Sri Lanka were certified by WHO to have eliminated malaria. In 2016, WHO confirmed 21 countries with potential for malaria elimination by 2020 (E-2020). The Republic of Korea is also included in E-2020.
Future perspective: The Division of Vectors and Parasitic Diseases in the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been continuously cooperating with international and national agencies to control or eliminate malaria.

Keywords: Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium vivax, malaria, WHO, elimination