Effective malaria control: better burden estimates needed.

摘要

Effective malaria control leading to reduced incidence and transmission is possible (Oct 27, p 1459). The main hindrance is identifying the right areas in which to apply the appropriate interventions. The commonly held belief, as quoted in your Editorial, is that malaria affects 3.2 billion people globally, 80% of whom reside in sub-Saharan Africa. These figures are overestimates since the models that generate them do not account for reduced transmission of malaria in ever-growing small urban settlements. Similarly, the current estimates of malaria prevalence that guide country policies are overestimated because they are based on clinical diagnosis, which is known to be non-specific.