Malaria Control Strategies: Overview of Changing Perspectives

摘要

In the last ten years, there are three phenomenon that have occurred causing wide-spread concern in the malariology community: resistance of vector mosquitoes to insecticides; resistance to drugs for malaria treatment and prophylaxis; and termination of internationally funded programs because of worldwide economic recession. DDT is remembered as the most effective insecticides of all times, however, an alternative insecticide has to be used because it received widespread resistance. Today's insecticides have not been as effective as DDT. Chloroquine, which has been used for several decades for treatment, prophylaxis and mass drug administrations, to eliminate the human reservoir of disease, seems decades away and replacement drugs encounter resistance problems before they are used. After reevaluating the goal of malaria eradication and control, the direction is to find effective replacement for DDT and acceptance of more effective replacement drugs. More studies should be directed toward such areas like behavior or genetics and operational research programmes must be designed with the goal of interrupting malaria transmission. Also, serious consideration should be given to the employment of physical and mechanical method of malaria control. (Author)