[The malaria situation in the WHO European region]

The number of indigenous malaria cases in European region peaked in 1997, when 77,985 cases were officially reported. These were caused almost exclusively by P. vivax, P. falciparum being restricted to a rather limited number of cases in Tajikistan only. Another important problem in the European Region is the importation of malaria associated with a high fatality rate from tropical endemic countries. There were 841 cases of malaria in Armenia, 567 of which were locally transmitted, 30 out of 81 districts recorded malaria cases. 89% of the indigenous cases were registered in Masis district, in the Ararat valley. In 1998, total number of cases increased to 1156. Of the 542 indigenous cases registered, 376 were in Masis district. 9911 cases were officially reported in 1997 in Azerbaijan and 5175 cases in 1998. Approximately half of malaria cases were reported from seven districts: Nakhichivan (10.4%), Imishli (14.6%), Fizuli (8.1%), Sabirabad (6.8%), Saatly (6%), Bejlagan (5.6%) and Bilasuvar (4.8%). Local transmission is also reported from the periurban areas of Baku, where many displaced people are living in temporary shelters. In 1997, a total of 30,054 malaria cases were officially registered in Tajikistan, of which 85.3% occurred in the Khatlon region, 10.5% in Dushanbe region, 3.5% in Gorno-Badakhshan region and 0.7% in Leninabad region. Following implementation of malaria control activities with WHO assistance, the number of malaria cases officially registered in 1998 dropped to 19,361 (187 were cases of falciparum malaria). A dramatic change occurred in malaria situation in Turkmenistan in 1998, when 115 indigenous cases were registered. The majority of malaria cases (104) were registered in the Kushka district, in south-east of Turkmenistan, among military service personnel. In recent years, the Government of Turkey has renewed its efforts to fight malaria, incorporating them into GAP with support from UNDP and WHO. In 1998, 36,451 cases were reported, 87.1% from southeastern Anatolia, 8.7% from Adana area and 4.2% from other areas of Turkey. The epidemics in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan and Turkey are having a considerable impact on the malaria situation in neighbouring countries of the European Region. Malaria cases have been imported from Turkey mainly to western Europe; from Azerbaijan to the Russian Federation, Georgia, and the Republic of Moldova; and from Tajikistan to the central Asian republics and to the Russian Federation. WHO made all possible efforts to mobilize and coordinate assistance from international community. WHO/EURO organized missions to those NIS where there is a risk of malaria epidemics. Most of the very limited funds reserved for epidemic prevention and control were immediatelly used to provide a limited stock of antimalarial drugs and to help the national institutions in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan implement antimalarial activities. In 1997, with the financial support of the Italian Government and the technical assistance of the Instituto Superiore di Sanità in Rome (WHO collaborating centre for research and training in planning tropical disease control) and of the Martsinovsky Institute of Medical Parasitology and Tropical Medicine in Moscow (WHO collaborating centre on vivax malaria), the training of health personnel in the field of malaria diagnosis, treatment and control was initiated in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. In 1996-1997, Japan provided financial support for a large malaria control project in Tajikistan, and Norway supported activities carried out in 1997 to tackle the malaria outbreak in Armenia. In 1997-1998, Italy supported malaria prevention activities in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, and some of the malaria activities carried out in Tajikistan under the integrated Management of Childhood Illness initiative. Several training courses and seminars were carried out in Turkey in 1998 by the national malaria contro