[Epidemiological analysis of malaria prevalence in Jiangsu Province in 2011]

To analyze the malaria prevalence and epidemic characteristics in Jiangsu Province in 2011 so as to provide a basis for drawing up and adjusting effective malaria elimination strategies and measures.

The reported malaria cases from the Internet reporting system and epidemiological data of malaria were collected and analyzed statistically in Jiangsu Province.

A total of 374 malaria cases were reported in Jiangsu Province in 2011 with the incidence of 0.05/10 000 which was similar to the number of cases in 2010. There were 13 cases of local vivax malaria which decreased by 87.00% compared with 100 cases in 2010. There were 361 imported cases including 309 imported falciparum malaria cases which increased by 49.00% compared with 207 cases in 2010. The imported falciparum cases mainly distributed in Yangzhou, Nantong, Huai' an and Taizhou cities which are located in central Jiangsu and coastal areas of northern Jiangsu. The number of imported falciparum malaria cases of these four cities accounted for 66.02% among the total cases in Jiangsu Province. There were 7 imported quartan malaria cases that were first reported and 14 imported ovale malaria cases.

The local vivax malaria infections in Jiangsu Province decrease significantly and the endemic areas reduce significantly. However the imported falciparum malaria cases are increasing significantly year by year and the infected plasmodium parasites show diversities. Therefore, to achieve the target of malaria elimination in Jiangsu on schedule, it needs to continue to strengthen the personnel training of primary health care facilities and the disease control agencies, and strengthen the health education for export staffs and the monitoring and surveillance of the returnee.