Potential herd protection against <i>Plasmodium falciparum</i> infections conferred by mass antimalarial drug administrations.

ABSTRACT: The global malaria burden has decreased over the last decade and many nations are attempting elimination. Asymptomatic malaria infections are not normally diagnosed or treated, posing a major hurdle for elimination efforts. One solution to this problem is mass drug administration (MDA), with success depending on adequate population participation. Here, we present a detailed spatial and temporal analysis of malaria episodes and asymptomatic infections in four villages undergoing MDA in Myanmar. In this study, individuals from neighborhoods with low MDA adherence had 2.85 times the odds of having a malaria episode post-MDA in comparison to those from high adherence neighborhoods, regardless of individual participation, suggesting a herd effect. High mosquito biting rates, living in a house w

SUBMITTER: Parker DM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6467567 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature