Epidemiological Characteristics of Re-emerging Vivax Malaria in the Republic of Korea (1993-2017).

Epidemiological Characteristics of Re-emerging Vivax Malaria in the Republic of Korea (1993-2017). Korean J Parasitol. 2018 Dec;56(6):531-543 Authors: Bahk YY, Lee HW, Na BK, Kim J, Jin K, Hong YS, Kim TS Abstract Historically, Plasmodium vivax malaria has been one of the most highly endemic parasitic diseases in the Korean Peninsula. Until the 1970s, vivax malaria was rarely directly lethal and was controlled through the Korean Government Program administered by the National Malaria Eradication Service in association with the World Health Organization's Global Malaria Eradication Program. Vivax malaria has re-emerged in 1993 near the Demilitarized Zone between South and North Korea and has since become an endemic infectious disease that now poses a serious public health threat through local transmission in the Republic of Korea. This review presents major lessons learned from past and current malaria research, including epidemiological and biological characteristics of the re-emergent disease, and considers some interesting patterns of diversity. Among other features, this review highlights temporal changes in the genetic make-up of the parasitic population, patient demographic features, and spatial distribution of cases, which all provide insight into the factors contributing to local transmission. The data indicate that vivax malaria in Korea is not expanding expo- nentially. However, continued surveillance is needed to prevent fu...
Source: Korean Journal of Parasitology - Category: Parasitology Tags: Korean J Parasitol Source Type: research