The global distribution of clinical episodes of Plasmodium falciparum malaria

Interest in mapping the global distribution of malaria is motivated by a need to define populations at risk for appropriate resource allocation and to provide a robust framework for evaluating its global economic impact. Comparison of older and more recent malaria maps shows how the disease has been...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nature 2005-03, Vol.434 (7030), p.214-217
Main Authors: Snow, Robert W, Guerra, Carlos A, Noor, Abdisalan M, Myint, Hla Y, Hay, Simon I
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Africa - epidemiology
Animals
Biological and medical sciences
Cartography
Developing Countries - economics
Economic impact
Epidemics
Freshwater
Geography
Global economy
Health risk assessment
Health risks
Human protozoal diseases
Humanities and Social Sciences
Humans
Infectious diseases
Internationality
letter
Malaria
Malaria, Falciparum - economics
Malaria, Falciparum - epidemiology
Malaria, Falciparum - prevention & control
Malaria, Falciparum - transmission
Medical sciences
multidisciplinary
Parasitic diseases
Plasmodium falciparum
Protozoal diseases
Resource allocation
Risk
Science
Science (multidisciplinary)
Vector-borne diseases
World Health Organization
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Interest in mapping the global distribution of malaria is motivated by a need to define populations at risk for appropriate resource allocation and to provide a robust framework for evaluating its global economic impact. Comparison of older and more recent malaria maps shows how the disease has been geographically restricted, but it remains entrenched in poor areas of the world with climates suitable for transmission. Here we provide an empirical approach to estimating the number of clinical events caused by Plasmodium falciparum worldwide, by using a combination of epidemiological, geographical and demographic data. We estimate that there were 515 (range 300-660) million episodes of clinical P. falciparum malaria in 2002. These global estimates are up to 50% higher than those reported by the World Health Organization (WHO) and 200% higher for areas outside Africa, reflecting the WHO's reliance upon passive national reporting for these countries. Without an informed understanding of the cartography of malaria risk, the global extent of clinical disease caused by P. falciparum will continue to be underestimated.
ISSN:0028-0836
1476-4687
1476-4687
DOI:10.1038/nature03342