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CSU 19/2008: LIMITS AND INTENSITY OF FALCIPARUM /READER FEEDBACK

Monday, 5th of May 2008

CSU 19/2008: LIMITS AND INTENSITY OF FALCIPARUM /READER FEEDBACK
 
 
 1) LIMITS AND INTENSITY OF FALCIPARUM TRANSMISSION
 
 
 As more international funding goes into the fight against malaria, the time
 is due, even overdue, for a review of its geographical extent.
 
 In this timely article from PLOS/Medicine, Guerra and colleagues review
 what is known on the geographical extent of falciparum malaria. They
 conclude that "[f]or 1 billion people at risk of unstable malaria
 transmission, elimination is epidemiologically feasible, and large areas of
 Africa are more amenable to control than appreciated previously." This open
 access article is also available to Web users at
 http://medicine.plosjournals.org/perlserv/?request=get-document&doi=10.1371/journal.pmed.0050038
 
  
 2) READER COMMENT
  
 From reader Jon Rohde comes the following note on child and maternal health
 in South Africa.
  
 "Amen to the low priority on family planning! Like HIV, it is anathema to
 try to encourage it, though contraceptive prevalence overall is high, early
 and frequent pregnancy is a real problem. The other point to make is
 exclusive breast feeding at 7% is probably the lowest in Africa - Nestle
 and the others have a total run of the health care system - indeed, they
 are encouraged as govt is a major supplier of infant formula.
  
 "The report does not mention the rising IMR and U5MR - AIDS, for sure, but
 also diseases associated with bottle feeding."
 
 
 Jon Rohde, MD
  3 Moray Place
  Oranjezicht, 8001
  Cape Town
  South Africa
  tel: 27 (0) 21-465-0569
  cell: 27 (0) 83-306-7701
 
 Good reading.
 
 
 BD