title: Current situation and challenges in implementing Malaria control strategies in Pakistan.
abstract: Malaria transmission is unstable in Pakistan with the highest number of cases reported during the monsoon season. Despite its high incidence, malaria is still a poorly resourced, poorly funded and an uncontrolled disease especially in far-flung areas. Pakistan's National Malaria Control Program (NMCP), although operational since its inception in 1947, has suffered due to the unstable political, socioeconomic and financial situation prevalent in the country. In Pakistan, more than 300 000 cases of malaria are reported every year with 68% of the cases caused by Plasmodium vivax. It is estimated that about 70-80% of the population accesses the private sector for treatment. As the private sector does not routinely report data to the government, the actual malaria burden could be 4-5 times higher than reported. P. vivax now accounts for more than 85% of all cases requiring hospital admission compared to 54% in 2000. In this review, we have described the saga of poor control of malaria in Pakistan over several years in context of restructuring of the Malaria Control Program, challenges to improvement, and way forward.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Pathology and Microbiology , Aga Khan University , Karachi , Pakistan and.
authors.forename: N K
authors.initials: NK
authors.lastname: Ghanchi
authors.affiliation: a Department of Pathology and Microbiology , Aga Khan University , Karachi , Pakistan and.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shakoor
authors.affiliation: b Medical College, Aga Khan University , Karachi , Pakistan.
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Thaver
authors.affiliation: b Medical College, Aga Khan University , Karachi , Pakistan.
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.affiliation: b Medical College, Aga Khan University , Karachi , Pakistan.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Janjua
authors.affiliation: a Department of Pathology and Microbiology , Aga Khan University , Karachi , Pakistan and.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Beg
mesh_terms: D003140:Communicable Disease Control / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods* / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods / Q000458:organization & administration; D018562:Disease Transmission, Infectious / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006291:Health Policy; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008288:Malaria / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D010154:Pakistan / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: Drug resistance; Malaria Control Program; malaria