A brief review of malaria epidemiological trend in Kermanshah province, Iran, 1986–2014

Abstract

Malaria is the most severe protozoan disease in the world. As a result of strict malaria control programs, malaria's epidemiological model has changed. Knowing this epidemiological model and its effects will help us predict and prevent a new epidemic. This research was conducted to review the epidemiological trend of malaria in the Kermanshah province of Iran and some of its effective factors. Data were extracted from the registers in the disease control unit of the province, national population census, and annual rainfall report. The data was processed by SPSS16. There has been an evident decrease in malaria cases over the last 30 years in Kermanshah. This decreasing trend began especially after 1994, and since then, just 6% of all cases have happened. Between 1990 to 1997, an epidemic occurred, and more than 80% of positive cases were registered in these years. P. vivax malaria was the most common type (99.32%), and P. falciparum malaria was the second, with a very egregious difference (0.68%). The average age was 23.1 years, and men were infected twice more than women. There was a positive relation between annual rainfall level and positive malaria cases in these cities. After the major changes in malaria control programs in Kermanshah province, the number of positive cases fell noticeably, and now it is in the elimination stage. All cases of malaria were imported in the last years, and no resistance type was ever seen.

Outbreak of malaria in southern Iran: How could manage this disease?

“…According to the results, the majority of malaria cases during the study period were observed in young and middle-aged individuals. This aligns with previous studies which also reported a higher prevalence of the disease in people aged 15 and above (20). According to the gender ratio of patients in the province, as in all previous studies (5), men are more likely to be affected by this disease than women (82.9% versus 17.1%).…”

“…This nding is consistent with other studies conducted in Iran, where that type of parasite was also found to be the dominant species. For instance, in studies conducted in Kermanshah and Mazandaran, Plasmodium vivax accounted for 98% of all cases (20,25). Similarly, in the Kanarak study, Plasmodium vivax accounted for 91.5% of the cases, and in the Razavi Khorasan study, it accounted for 96.4% of the cases (27).…”

Knowledge and Practices of Women Regarding Malaria and Its Prevention: A Community-Based Study in an Area under Malaria Elimination Programme in Iran

“…In 1951 a comprehensive programme for eradication of malaria was initiated in Iran, and in 1985 it changed to malaria control because of the restrictions and challenges ( 2 ). This country has been in the malaria elimination phase since 2010 and is aiming to become entirely malaria-free by 2025 ( 3 ).…”