Clinical Advances in Malaria

A special issue of Journal of Clinical Medicine (ISSN 2077-0383). This special issue belongs to the section "Infectious Diseases".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2025 | Viewed by 4740

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
1. Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Paris, APHP, Service de Parasitologie-Mycologie, CNR du Paludisme, F-75013 Paris, France
2. Sorbonne Université, Inserm, IPLESP Institut Pierre Louis d’Epidémiologie et de Santé Publique, F-75013 Paris, France
Interests: malaria; severe malaria; epidemiology; diagnosis; treatment; public health

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Malaria control figures are poor, falling far short of the WHO's Global Technical Strategy for Malaria 2016–2030 (GTSM) targets of reducing malaria incidence and mortality by at least 40% by 2020, 75% by 2025 and 90% by 2030, based on the 2015 baseline data. Indeed, the incidence figures were 58.7 in 2020 and 58.4 in 2022, for a reference value of 59.8 cases per 1,000 inhabitants in 2015, and those for mortality 15.2 and 14.3 for a reference value of 15.2 per 100,000 inhabitants. More directly, malaria has been estimated to be responsible for 249 [225–278] million cases and 608,000 [566,000–738,000] deaths in 2022. The endemic is still active in 84 countries worldwide plus French Guyana, but is now essentially African, accounting for 93.6% of cases and 95% of deaths. It also concerns international travelers. As such, all countries in the world are affected. With potential vectors still present, it is likely to reappear in areas where it has been eliminated, as in Greece between 2009 and 2012.

This is a worrying situation in a world that is particularly unstable politically, ecologically and climatically. The specter of a return to a much more dramatic malaria epidemic is looming and is of the utmost concern to health authorities.

The general aim of this Special Issue is to take an overview of the current situation in the fight against malaria worldwide, and to discuss the diagnostic and therapeutic means, as well as the human and financial resources that need to be mobilized to control or eliminate/eradicate malaria. More specifically, we will examine:

- The particularities of malaria epidemiology in sub-Saharan Africa, and why malaria control there is so complicated;

- Mosquito resistance to insecticides and parasite resistance to drugs;

- Biological diagnosis of malaria and technical developments that could have a positive impact on global control;

- New therapeutic approaches, in particular the role of vaccines and monoclonal antibodies in the global fight against malaria.

Dr. Marc Thellier
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • malaria
  • diagnosis
  • treatment
  • vaccination
  • resistance
  • epidemiology
  • public health

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Review

22 pages, 1954 KiB  
Review
Dihydroartemisinin–Piperaquine Combination in the Treatment of Uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum Malaria: Update on Clinical Failures in Africa and Tools for Surveillance
by Océane Delandre, Bruno Pradines and Emilie Javelle
J. Clin. Med. 2024, 13(22), 6828; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm13226828 - 13 Nov 2024
Viewed by 1141
Abstract
Dihydroartemisinin (or artenimol)–piperaquine is one of the six artemisinin-based combination therapies recommended in uncomplicated malaria treatment. However, artemisinin partial resistance has been reported in Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, India, and, recently, in Africa. Polymorphisms in the Pfk13 gene have been described as molecular markers [...] Read more.
Dihydroartemisinin (or artenimol)–piperaquine is one of the six artemisinin-based combination therapies recommended in uncomplicated malaria treatment. However, artemisinin partial resistance has been reported in Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, India, and, recently, in Africa. Polymorphisms in the Pfk13 gene have been described as molecular markers of artemisinin resistance and the amplification of the plasmepsine II/III (Pfpmp2/Pfpmp3) gene has been associated with piperaquine resistance. However, some therapeutic failures with this combination remain unexplained by strains’ characterization. We provide an overview on the use of dihydroartemisinin–piperaquine in malaria treatment and discuss tools available to monitor its efficacy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Clinical Advances in Malaria)
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20 pages, 3088 KiB  
Review
Global Fight against Malaria: Goals and Achievements 1900–2022
by Marc Thellier, Ayawovi Arlene Jessicka Gemegah and Ilhame Tantaoui
J. Clin. Med. 2024, 13(19), 5680; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm13195680 - 24 Sep 2024
Viewed by 3140
Abstract
This article examines the historical and ongoing efforts to fight malaria, a parasitic disease caused by Plasmodium species and transmitted by Anopheles mosquitoes. Despite over a century of control efforts, malaria remains a major global health issue. In 2022, there were an estimated [...] Read more.
This article examines the historical and ongoing efforts to fight malaria, a parasitic disease caused by Plasmodium species and transmitted by Anopheles mosquitoes. Despite over a century of control efforts, malaria remains a major global health issue. In 2022, there were an estimated 249 million cases across 85 countries, leading to approximately 600,000 deaths. In the recently published Global Technical Strategy for Malaria 2016–2030, the World Health Organization (WHO) has prioritized malaria eradication. The main goals are to reduce malaria incidence and mortality by 90% by 2030 compared to 2015 levels. However, as of 2022, progress has been limited, with only a 2% reduction in incidence and a 6% reduction in mortality. This review traces the historical context of malaria, highlighting its ancient origins and the pivotal scientific discoveries in the late 19th century that paved the way for modern control measures. The Global Malaria Eradication Programme launched by the WHO in 1955 initially showed promise, largely due to the insecticide DDT, but ultimately failed to achieve its goals mainly due to logistical problems, vector resistance to DDT, and inadequate funding. Despite significant advances in the early 21st century, including the Roll Back Malaria initiative and increased international funding, malaria eradication remains a distant goal. Persistent challenges, such as weak healthcare systems, parasite and vector resistance to drugs and insecticides, and inadequate funding, continue to hamper global efforts. Therefore, this article underscores the need for a deeper understanding of malaria’s history and recent evolution to inform future strategies for eradication. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Clinical Advances in Malaria)
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