Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
2006a
,
2006b
,
2010
;
Gething et al., 2011b
) and the challenges it presents for
control (
Sattabongkot et al., 2004
;
Wells et al., 2010
), has led to a call for
greater attention to be paid to understanding the global distribution and
burden of this neglected parasite (
Baird, 2007
;
Price et al., 2007b
;
Mueller
et al., 2009a
).
A key information gap impeding
P. vivax
control and progress towards
elimination has been the lack of geographical estimates of risk (
Mendis et al.,
2001
;
Price et al., 2007b
;
Malaria Eradication Research Agenda, 2011b
).
Assessment of geographic variations in levels of endemicity of the parasite
is essential to estimate the burden of the disease and measure the impact
of control and the feasibility of elimination (
Pampana, 1969
;
Hay et al.,
2008
;
Tatem et al., 2010
). The Malaria Atlas Project (MAP) was founded to
address this evidence gap (
Hay and Snow, 2006
;
Hay et al., 2009
;
Gething
et al., 2011a
), with an initial focus on
P. falciparum
, and the resulting global
malaria distributions have been used to assess the adequacy and equity in
control funding (
Pigott et al., 2012
), to inform international policy and
resource allocation (
Anonymous, 2009
;
Feachem et al., 2009
;
McLaughlin
et al., 2009
;
World Bank, 2009
;
Zanzibar Malaria Control Program, 2009
;
DFID, 2010
;
Global Partnership to Roll Back Malaria et al., 2010
) and to
estimate the global burden of disease (
Patil et al., 2009
;
Gething et al., 2010a
;
Hay et al., 2010b
). A suite of modelled spatial data on
P. vivax
transmission
and endemicity (Guerra et al. 2010;
Gething et al. 2012
) and
P. vivax
vec-
tors (
Sinka et al., 2010a
,
2010b
,
2011
,
2012
) add to this evidence base for
strategic disease-control planning, implementation and monitoring. Here,
for the first time, we bring all these mapped data on
P. vivax
together in
one place. We explain how these products were generated, their limitations
and their value, and provide an overview for each malaria-endemic region
of the world. We also consider those areas where our lack of geographical
knowledge is particularly acute and would benefit most from concerted
future research efforts. A full review of the methodologies used to generate
each mapped product is also provided at the end of this chapter.
2. THE GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION OF
P. VIVAX
INFECTIONS
Plasmodium vivax
has the widest geographical distribution of the
human malarias with an estimated 2.49 billion individuals living at risk of
infection in 2010 (
Gething et al., 2012
). Biological features of
P. vivax
that
distinguish it from
P. falciparum
present unique challenges to the control of
