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[Challenges and countermeasures on Chinese malaria elimination programme during the coronavirus disease 2019
1Jiangsu Institute of Parasitic Diseases; WHO Collaborating Center for Research and Training on Malaria Elimination; Key Laboratory of National Health Commission on Parasitic Disease Control and Prevention; Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory on Parasite and Vector Control Technology, Wuxi 214064, China.
Insights
The COVID-19 pandemic poses significant challenges to China's malaria elimination program by potentially disrupting diagnosis, treatment, and surveillance efforts, risking secondary transmission and jeopardizing past achievements.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Infectious Disease Epidemiology
- Global Health Security
Background:
- China faces ongoing challenges with approximately 3,000 imported malaria cases annually.
- The 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic presents a significant threat to public health and infectious disease management.
- Maintaining malaria elimination achievements is crucial for China's public health landscape.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the specific challenges posed by COVID-19 to China's ongoing malaria elimination program.
- To propose effective countermeasures to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on malaria control.
- To provide a reference for healthcare professionals managing both diseases.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on COVID-19 and malaria epidemiology in China.
- Analysis of potential transmission risks between COVID-19 and malaria during healthcare interactions.
- Development of strategic recommendations based on epidemiological principles and public health best practices.
Main Results:
- COVID-19 can disrupt malaria diagnosis, treatment, and epidemiological surveillance, increasing risks of secondary transmission.
- Healthcare settings pose a risk for cross-infection between malaria patients and healthcare professionals due to COVID-19.
- The pandemic threatens to undermine decades of progress in China's malaria elimination efforts.
Conclusions:
- Urgent implementation of integrated strategies is necessary to address the dual threat of COVID-19 and malaria.
- Strengthening surveillance, diagnosis, and treatment protocols for malaria amidst the pandemic is critical.
- Proactive measures are essential to safeguard China's malaria-free status and protect public health.
Abstract:
Since the end of 2019, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been extensively epidemic in China, which not only seriously threatens the safety and health of Chinese people, but also challenges the management of other infectious diseases. Currently, there are still approximately three thousand malaria cases imported into China every year. If the diagnosis and treatment of malaria cases as well as the investigation and response of the epidemic foci are not carried out timely, it may endanger patients'lives and cause the possible of secondary transmission, which threatens the achievements of malaria elimination in China. Due to the extensive spread and high transmission ability of the COVID-19, there is a possibility of virus infections among malaria cases during the medical care-seeking behaviors and among healthcare professionals during clinical diagnosis and treatment, sample collection and testing and epidemiological surveys. This paper analyzes the challenges of the COVID-19 for Chinese malaria elimination programme, and proposes the countermeasures in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, so as to provide the reference for healthcare professionals.
