Confronting P. vivax malaria; 2015

WHY IS ACTION AGAINST P. VIVAX MALARIA NEEDED?

Plasmodium vivax is one of five species of Plasmodium that can cause malaria in human beings. Although P. falciparum is responsible for the majority of cases and deaths from malaria, P. vivax has a wider geographical range and is responsible for almost half the cases of malaria outside Africa. In May 2015, the World Health Assembly endorsed the most ambitious targets for malaria control since the eradication era – namely to eliminate malaria from 35 countries and reduce case incidence and mortality rates by 90% globally.1P. vivax presents a major challenge to achieving these targets; in 2013, it was responsible for 16 million cases globally. It predominates in countries that are prime candidates for elimination, accounting for more than 70% of cases in countries with fewer than 5000 cases of malaria each year. Not only does P. vivax present a barrier to elimination, it can also cause severe disease; severe cases and deaths due to P. vivax malaria have been reported from all endemic regions.