%0 Journal Article
%T History of malaria control in Tajikistan and rapid malaria appraisal in an agro-ecological setting
%A Barbara Matthys
%A Tohir Sherkanov
%A Saifudin S Karimov
%A Zamonidin Khabirov
%A Till Mostowlansky
%A Jščrg Utzinger
%A Kaspar Wyss
%J Malaria Journal
%D 2008
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1475-2875-7-217
%X The rapid malaria appraisal was carried out in six communities of irrigated rice cultivation during the peak of malaria transmission (August/September 2007) in western Tajikistan. In a cross-sectional survey, blood samples were taken from 363 schoolchildren and examined for Plasmodium under a light microscope. A total of 56 farmers were interviewed about agricultural activities and malaria. Potential Anopheles breeding sites were characterized using standardized procedures. A literature review on the epidemiology and control of malaria in Tajikistan was conducted.One case of P. vivax was detected among the 363 schoolchildren examined (0.28%). The interviewees reported to protect themselves against mosquito bites and used their own concepts on fever conditions, which do not distinguish between malaria and other diseases. Three potential malaria vectors were identified, i.e. Anopheles superpictus, Anopheles pulcherrimus and Anopheles hyrcanus in 58 of the 73 breeding sites examined (79.5%). Rice paddies, natural creeks and man-made ponds were the most important Anopheles habitats.The presence of malaria vectors and parasite reservoirs, low awareness of, and protection against malaria in the face of population movements and inadequate surveillance may render local communities vulnerable to potential epidemics. To attain malaria transmission interruption in Tajikistan by 2015, there is a need for rigorous surveillance along with strengthening of primary health care facilities for effective case management, and possibly a more differentiated vector control strategy based on additional local evidence.The Republic of Tajikistan is a land-locked mountainous country in Central Asia with an estimated population of 6.9 million; nearly 75% living in rural areas [1]. Although the economy has grown considerably since 1997, two-thirds of the population live on less than US$ 2.15 per day [2]. The economy strongly depends on cotton, aluminium and hydropower exports [3]. The climate
%U http://www.malariajournal.com/content/7/1/217