[Malaria in Vietnam in 1996: brief synthesis of epidemiological data]

Vietnam is in a tropical region where malaria is considered as a public health problem. Plasmodium falciparum is responsible for 72% of cases of malaria and Plasmodium vivax for 28%. Analysis of available data shows that the situation is complex. The overall incidence of malaria is low, i.e. approximately 8.5: 1000 in 1995 but the disease is unevenly distributed over the country which has a variety of terrain and climates. Hilly and mountainous areas are the most affected especially in the center of the country where the annual incidence can exceed 10%. In most provinces, the majority of people are not immunized and malaria is unstable. Emergence of chemoresistant parasites is a major problem. Resistance rates of Plasmodium falciparum ranges from 40.78% to 61.67% for chloroquine and from 25.80% to 47.40% for sulfamides. Locally produced artemisinin derivatives are being more and more widely used in order to cope with this problem local. Given the great epidemiological variability of malaria in Vietnam, careful analysis needed before attempting any type of group and individual prophylaxis.