Public health challenges facing malaria elimination in developing countries. A review of expert opinions

Abstract

Background: Malaria is Primarily a vector-borne disease caused by the protozoan Plasmodium. Protozoa Plasmodium is unicellular eukaryote parasites. These parasites are mostly transmitted to people through the bites of an infected Anopheles mosquito, called “malaria vectors.” Studies have shown that Malaria occurs mostly in the tropical and the subtropical regions of the world. The prevalent of malaria is happening in 106 countries of the developing world, like Africa, Amazon, Central and Southern America, central, south and southeast Asia, and Pacific. However, developing countries are the most affected countries. According to the world Health Organization report, about 3.2 billion People nearly 50 percent of the world population are at risk of malaria infection each year.

Objectives: The researcher reviewed the literature regarding public health challenges facing malaria elimination in developing countries.

Study design: The Cochrane Library, the WHO library, the Google Scholar, were searched for the studies related to public health challenges affecting the elimination of malaria in developing countries. A hand search was also included. The studies included were from developing countries authored in the English language that pointed at challenges that affected the elimination of malaria in developing countries.

Results: Twelve Articles reached the inclusive criteria. All the twelve (articles) demonstrated expert opinions regarding public health challenges affecting malaria elimination in developing countries. Conclusion: Results based on expert opinion suggest that Parasite-resistant to drugs or insecticides ,weak surveillance systems inadequate health care resources infrastructure ,lack of knowledge of information and understanding of malaria vectors and the parasites, high malaria transmission intensity, external factor of population and climate change drug related challenges drug- related challenges,and inadequate local budget and donor’s dependency are challenges facing malaria elimination in developing countries. Nevertheless, this study is based on expert opinions, and more studies must be done to prove the findings.