Epidemiological characterization of Plasmodium falciparum in the Republic of Cabo Verde: implications for potential large-scale re-emergence of malaria

Malaria has come near eradication at archipelago of Cabo Verde in 1970. Infections are now only observed in Santiago, where outbreaks occur. In these islands, malaria is considered by the international community as being of limited risk and, therefore, no prophylaxis is recommended. Since the unders...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Malaria journal 2006-04, Vol.5 (1), p.32-32, Article 32
Main Authors: Alves, Joana, Roque, Ana Luísa, Cravo, Pedro, Valdez, Tomás, Jelinek, Tomas, Rosário, Virgílio E do, Arez, Ana Paula
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Antibodies, Protozoan - blood
Antimalarials - pharmacology
Carrier State - epidemiology
Carrier State - parasitology
Chloroquine - pharmacology
Communicable Diseases, Emerging - epidemiology
Communicable Diseases, Emerging - parasitology
Drug Resistance - genetics
Humans
Malaria, Falciparum - epidemiology
Malaria, Falciparum - parasitology
Plasmodium falciparum - classification
Plasmodium falciparum - genetics
Plasmodium falciparum - immunology
Plasmodium falciparum - isolation & purification
Senegal - epidemiology
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Summary:Malaria has come near eradication at archipelago of Cabo Verde in 1970. Infections are now only observed in Santiago, where outbreaks occur. In these islands, malaria is considered by the international community as being of limited risk and, therefore, no prophylaxis is recommended. Since the understanding of factors that determine malaria outbreaks are crucial for controlling the disease, the present study aimed to investigate if the malaria infections observed in Santiago Island are maintained in isolated foci and in asymptomatic individuals. The occurrence of asymptomatic carriers in villages with history of malaria as well as the level of exposure of these populations were investigated using PCR and serological analyses. Results indicate that malaria is maintained as asymptomatic and sub-patent infections and that the majority of the circulating parasite populations harbour chloroquine-resistant mutations. These observations highlight the alarming prospect of malaria to become a serious public health problem and underscore the need for a tighter surveillance.
ISSN:1475-2875
1475-2875
DOI:10.1186/1475-2875-5-32