Vector Biology and Disease Prevention

**37**

**Chapter 4**

**Abstract**

malaria elimination process.

strategies, and improving general living standard [1].

community engagement

**1. Introduction**

New Ways to Tackle Malaria

Malaria is one of the oldest tropical diseases and still remains a focus of attention. Sub-Saharan African countries contribute 90% of the total malaria cases in the world. The World Health Organization (WHO) has advocated eliminating this disease by 2030 with the existing strategies and tools. Many initiatives are underway by several organizations, and 38 countries have achieved the elimination goal. The main backbone of the elimination process is smart surveillance followed by prompt public health responses. The control of the disease mainly relies on treatment of malaria positive cases with anti-malarials namely artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) for *Plasmodium falciparum*. In India, chloroquine is still effective against *P. vivax*. Use of 8-aminoquinolines primaquine and more recently tefenoquine warrants testing of G6PD deficiency status to avoid unnecessary hemolysis. Vector control operations mainly depend on the use of long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) and indoor residual spray (IRS) with insecticides. The threat of resistance draws an open challenge in both treatment and vector management. New initiatives on surveillance, treatment, chemoprevention, and vector control using modern techniques of artificial intelligence, machine learning, genetic engineering, and digital approach of community engagement have great potential to accelerate the

**Keywords:** malaria, elimination, smart surveillance, treatment, vector management,

Malaria is one of the oldest parasitic tropical diseases, and it takes a huge toll on human lives. It also causes great economic loss. Almost half of the population in the world is under the threat of malaria mostly in the tropical and sub-tropical countries. About 90% of the total malaria burden occurs in sub-Saharan African countries. Efforts to eradicate/or eliminate malaria began after the discovery of the role of mosquitoes in malaria transmission by Ronald Ross in 1897. In the beginning of the 20th century, most of the mosquito control operations were aimed at larval control using larvicidal oil, larvivorous fish and environmental management. These efforts made significant impacts on malaria control. Everything changed with the introduction of dichloro diphenyl trichloroethane (DDT) in the mid-1940s. Many European countries and the USA successfully eradicated malaria with the application of DDT and vector sanitation

Malaria eradication program in India haves had mixed success. After successful results from pilot studies on DDT, the National Malaria Eradication Program (NMEP) was launched in 1958 from the National Malaria Control Program (NMCP) in 1953. There was a huge success that resulted in almost complete malaria eradication in

*Susanta Kumar Ghosh and Chaitali Ghosh*
