Joint malaria surveys lead towards improved cross-border cooperation between Savannakhet province, Laos and Quang Tri province, Vietnam

Malaria Journal

Research

Daisuke Nonaka¹  Jun Kobayashi²  Ron P Marchand³  Hoang Ha⁴  Le Thanh⁴  Kazuhiko Moji⁵  Bumpei Tojo⁵  Panom Phongmany⁶  Tiengkham Pongvongsa⁷ 

[1] Department of Parasitology and International Health, Graduate School of Medicine, University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa, Japan;Graduate School of International Health Development, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan;Department of International Medical Cooperation, National Center for Global Health and Medicine, Tokyo, Japan;Medical Committee Netherlands-Vietnam, Nha Trang, Vietnam;Quang Tri Province Preventive Medicine Center, Quang Tri, Vietnam;Research Institute for Humanity and Nature, Kyoto, Japan;Savannakhet Provincial Health Department, Savannakhet, Laos;Savannakhet Provincial Malaria Station, Savannakhet, Laos;

关键词: Anopheles dirus;    Forest cover;    Long-lasting insecticide-treated net;    Indoor residual spraying;    International border;   

DOI  :  10.1186/1475-2875-11-262

 received in 2012-05-16, accepted in 2012-07-21,  发布年份 2012

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundIn Savannakhet province, Laos and Quang Tri province, Vietnam, malaria is still an important health problem and most cases are found in the mountainous, forested border areas where ethnic minority groups live. The objectives of this study were to obtain a better joint understanding of the malaria situation along the border and, on the basis of that, improve malaria control methods through better cooperation between the two countries.MethodsFourteen villages in Savannakhet and 22 villages in Quang Tri were randomly selected within 5 km from the border where a blood survey for microscopic diagnosis (n = 1256 and n = 1803, respectively), household interviews (n = 400, both sides) and vector surveys were conducted between August and October 2010. Satellite images were used to examine the forest density around the study villages.ResultsMalaria prevalence was significantly higher in Laos (5.2%) than in Vietnam (1.8%) and many other differences were found over the short distance across the border. Bed net coverage was high (> 90%) in both Laos and Vietnam but, while in Laos more than 60% of the nets were long-lasting insecticide-treated, Vietnam used indoor residual spraying in this area and the nets were untreated. Anopheles mosquitoes were more abundant in Laos than in Vietnam, especially many Anopheles dirus were captured in indoor light traps while none were collected in Vietnam. The forest cover was higher around the Lao than the Vietnamese villages. After this study routine exchange of malaria surveillance data was institutionalized and for the first time indoor residual spraying was applied in some Lao villages.ConclusionsThe abundance of indoor-collected An. dirus on the Laos side raises doubts about the effectiveness of a sole reliance on long-lasting insecticide-treated nets in this area. Next to strengthening the early detection, correct diagnosis and prompt, adequate treatment of malaria infections, it is recommended to test focal indoor residual spraying and the promotion of insect repellent use in the early evening as additional vector interventions. Conducting joint malaria surveys by staff of two countries proved to be effective in stimulating better collaboration and improve cross-border malaria control.

【 授权许可】

Unknown   
© Pongvongsa et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. 2012. This article is published under license to BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.