Arsalan Amirkafi; Seyed Massoud Madjdzadeh; Mohammad Amin Gorouhi; Alireza Sanei-Dehkordi; Ismaeil Alizadeh; Abbas Aghaei Afshar
Abstract
Background: Malaria is the most important mosquito-borne disease in Iran in recent decades. This disease is endemic in the south to the southeastern Iran. Knowledge about larval habitats, species diversity, and distribution pattern of malaria vectors will help authorities in the appropriate management ...
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Background: Malaria is the most important mosquito-borne disease in Iran in recent decades. This disease is endemic in the south to the southeastern Iran. Knowledge about larval habitats, species diversity, and distribution pattern of malaria vectors will help authorities in the appropriate management of this disease. Qaleh Ganj county is one of the main endemic areas for malaria in the south of Iran. Little information is available about the fauna of mosquitoes and their characteristics in this area.Methods: This study aims to assess the fauna, larval habitats, species diversity, and distribution pattern of Anophelinae mosquitoes using the Geographic Information System (GIS) in Qaleh Ganj County, the southeast of Iran. The potential aquatic habitats for Anopheles larvae were selected based on the variety of topography and history of the malaria epidemic. The mosquito larvae were collected using dipping method from April to December 2018. Finally, the diversity, richness, and evenness indices were calculated.Results: A total of 1042 larvae were found. The dominant species was Anopheles culicifacies s.l. Giles, 1901. The Shannon diversity index ranged from 0.76–1.54 between different collection sites, while the other indices showed the highest and lowest diversity, evenness, and richness of species in each area.Conclusion: Due to the fact that some of the species in this region are species complexes, molecular studies are needed to find better information about the genetic diversity of these species which can be helpful for the malaria elimination program in Iran.
Maryam Sarani; Gholamali Javdan; Amin Ghanbarnejad; Ebrahim Eftekhar; Reza Safari; Khojasteh Sharifi- Sarasiabi; Shaghayegh Khojasteh; Habibollah Turki
Abstract
Background: Case finding and malaria foci management is significant strategy for the prosperous performance of amalaria elimination program. Therefore, detection, treatment. and follow-up of all cases (symptomatic & Asymptomatic) in malaria elimination program is necessary. This study aimed to find ...
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Background: Case finding and malaria foci management is significant strategy for the prosperous performance of amalaria elimination program. Therefore, detection, treatment. and follow-up of all cases (symptomatic & Asymptomatic) in malaria elimination program is necessary. This study aimed to find an active cases of malaria in Bashagard (With a previous history of local malaria transmission) with emphasis on the use of molecular methods in order to successfully implement the malaria elimination program.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted to examine more precise the positive cases reported and to identify possible cases of additional malaria. In the first stage, all eligible residents of the community were sampled. In the next step, the villagers who had moved to work in the neighboring city were identified and sampled. In this study, 230 people participated to be tested for malaria by microscopic, Rapid Diagnostic Tests and Nested- PCR techniques.Results: In the first phase of the study, three positive cases of Plasmodium vivax were reported using microscopic and RDT methods. In the second step of the survey, an asymptomatic malaria reservoir was identified using molecular technique.Conclusion: The results of this study emphasize the important role of active cases finding using molecular techniques along with routine diagnostic methods in malaria control and elimination programs.
Mohammad-Rafi Bazrafshan; Mohammad Reza Foroutani; Ahmadreza Eidi; Hamed Delam
Abstract
Abstract Background: Malaria has been considered by health systems as one of the most dangerous human infectious diseases. In Iran, the disease has caused great economic and social damage to the country. The present study was designed to identify the epidemiological situation of malaria during 2006 to ...
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Abstract Background: Malaria has been considered by health systems as one of the most dangerous human infectious diseases. In Iran, the disease has caused great economic and social damage to the country. The present study was designed to identify the epidemiological situation of malaria during 2006 to 2018 in the southern region of Fars province, southern Iran. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study. The study population consisted of all people with malaria whose information was recorded at the Larestan Infectious Diseases Center from 2006 to 2018. To extract the data, a checklist was used that included information such as the total number of smears performed each year, the number of positive smears, age of the individual, sex, type of malaria species, and the month of the disease. Results: Out of a total of 85,201 smear tests performed to identify malaria in the region, 190 had positive smear tests. The majority of the positive cases were Afghan nationalities. Most cases of the disease were seen in 2017, 2008 and 2016, respectively. In all years, men were more likely than women to have malaria, and the highest prevalence was in the age group of 21-30 and 11-20 years, respectively. Conclusion: Despite the relative decrease in malaria cases in recent decades in Larestan city, in recent years, especially from 2014 to 2018, the increasing trend of the disease has been relatively shown again, so making active diagnosis, equipping health systems and doing more blood smears tests are necessary to reduce the prevalence of malaria in this region.
Seyed Aghil Jaberhashemi; Mohammad Djaefar Moemenbellah-Fard; Mousa Khosravani; Mojtaba Norouzi; Hadi Kalari
Abstract
Objective: The main aim of this research is to investigate the knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) on malaria control with respect to indoor residual spraying (IRS) in a community of Southern Iran. Introduction: Human malaria is an important vector-borne infectious disease in Iran. It remains endemic ...
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Objective: The main aim of this research is to investigate the knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) on malaria control with respect to indoor residual spraying (IRS) in a community of Southern Iran. Introduction: Human malaria is an important vector-borne infectious disease in Iran. It remains endemic over most parts of the oriental region of Iran that is still in the pre-elimination phase without considerable drop in the proportion of malaria cases. Methods: This research was a cross-sectional household survey conducted in Kazerun, Fars province, Iran, to examine he malaria status and identify the parameters that obstruct the progress of the elimination phase. A standard questionnaire with 20 questions was provided to households including knowledge, attitude and practice categories. Sampling was then stratified to choose the samples in three rural foci of Kazerun. Results: The sex ratio of participants included 192 females (92.3%) and 16 males (7.7%), respectively. This community benefited mostly from acceptable literacy level. A strong association prevailed between the majority of respondents’ (88.5%) knowledge of fever and chills as the main symptoms of malaria and their literacy level. The majority (198, 95.2%) of volunteers declared that malaria disease was transmitted through the mosquito bites. In line with this study, literate persons have raised motivation and attitude to use bednets and keep themselves away from mosquitoes. These individuals cooperate perfectly with healthcare workers in malaria control program strategies (especially IRS). Conclusion: Comprehensive and synergistic measures are needed to be taken to manage malaria elimination strategy in Iran.
Mojtaba Norouzi; Haleh Ghaem; Hamid Reza Tabatabaee; Malihe Abdollahi; Mohammad Afkar; Fatemeh Rahmani
Abstract
Background: Malaria is one of the most important vector-borne diseases, a major health problem, and a serious cause of mortality around the world. Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS) together with insecticide-treated nets is among the primary methods used for controlling and reducing the burden of malaria. ...
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Background: Malaria is one of the most important vector-borne diseases, a major health problem, and a serious cause of mortality around the world. Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS) together with insecticide-treated nets is among the primary methods used for controlling and reducing the burden of malaria. The present study aimed to determine the appropriate time for malaria management based on entomology, vector abundance, temperature, and precipitation data. Methods:The study data were collected using the entomological data existing in Kazerun’s health and treatment network and weather station between 2009 - 2016. The data were analyzed via time series models with monthly time intervals, which included 96 months. The following models were applied: Autoregressive Moving Average (ARMA), Moving Average (MA), Autoregressive (AR), and Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA). Indeed, kriging approach was employed for interpolation of temperature and precipitation in the study points. All analyses were done using Information Technology Service Management (ITSM) software. Results: Temperature followed a similar trend in the six villages under investigation. It was predicted up to 20 months after the observations using MAmodel. Accordingly, the mean of temperature was 30°C.The trend of precipitation showed great fluctuations; thus, the results of the precipitation model were not accredited. The trend of Anopheles abundance was predicted using ARMA in Jahad-Abad, Hakimbashi, Seyed Hossein, and Dadin and using ARMA in Khesht and Jareh. According to the results, Anopheles abundance followed a descending trend in the study regions. Considering the temperature trend and peak of Anopheles abundance in the areas under investigation, the best time for residual spraying was two weeks prior to the peak of Anopheles abundance within the temperature range of 25-30°C. Conclusion: Considering entomology and temperature data, two weeks prior to the peak of Anopheles abundance within the temperature range of 25-30°C was found to be the best time for residual spraying in order to prevent and control malaria. Other preventive and control measures, such as active case detection, timely treatment of patients, and public education should also be intensified at this time.
Kourosh Azizi; Mohammad Djaefar Moemenbellah-Fard; Mousa Khosravani-Shiri; Mohammad Reza Fakoorziba; Aboozar Soltani
Volume 2, Issue 1 , January 2014, , Pages 30-35
Abstract
Background: Human malaria remains a major malady in Eastern Iran. Vector control interventions such as indoor residual spraying are used to fight with the disease. This study was undertaken to determine the lethal and residual effects of three different pyrethroid insecticides on adult mosquitoes of ...
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Background: Human malaria remains a major malady in Eastern Iran. Vector control interventions such as indoor residual spraying are used to fight with the disease. This study was undertaken to determine the lethal and residual effects of three different pyrethroid insecticides on adult mosquitoes of Anopheles stephensi on different surfaces in Iran, as part of a national program to monitor insecticide resistance in endemic areas. Methods: Two main endemic foci were selected as collection sites. Wild adult females of An. stephensi (mysoriensis strain) from the first focus were subjected to standard susceptibility tests, using lambdacyhalothrin, deltamethrin and cyfluthrin insecticides within holding tubes according to the method proposed by WHO. In Kazerun, the residual effects of these compounds were examined by conical bioassay tests of An. stephensi (type strain) on plaster and cement walls. Data were analyzed using Mann-Whitney test to determine the differences in susceptibility and residual effects of An. stephensi mosquitoes to these insecticides. Results: The susceptibility of females of An. stephensi to three concentrations of lambdacyhalothrin, deltamethrin and cyfluthrin insecticides culminated in full scale mortality at the highest diagnostic dose. The maximal residual time of these three insecticides on plaster and cement walls was estimated to be about three months. There was no significant difference in the mortalities of An. stephensi on different sprayed surfaces (P=0.653). Conclusion: All field-collected An. stephensi populations exhibit gross susceptibility to all diagnostic doses of the three evaluated insecticides. In endemic areas, lambdacyhalothrin reveals a slightly longer residual activity than the other two insecticides.
