Why Understanding Human Migration Can Help Stop Malaria

It's no secret that the movement of populations can help hasten the spread of malaria. Way back in 1957, the WHO was warning against that very phenomenon: "It is well known that mass movements within or through a malarious country in the malaria season are likely to cause an exacerbation of the disease to the extent of often precipitating a severe epidemic."

But it wasn't until recently that a study — published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences — actually went ahead and quantified the effects of migration on malaria transmission. To obtain their results, researchers analyzed data from a new international migration database alongside Plasmodium falciparum ( the parasite that causes malaria) transmission maps. Thanks to this combination of data, they were able to identify which areas are more likely to be malaria trafficking zones. What's more, within those areas, they were also able to note which countries are likely to be net exporters and net importers of the disease. What the researchers found wasn't necessarily surprising, but their results do prove that attempts to control malaria will be successful only if countries manage to look beyond their own borders.

As their report says, many malaria-endemic countries are now pursuing national malaria elimination strategies. These are laudable efforts. But if residents of a neighboring, malaria-ridden state are constantly crossing over the nearest border (to trade goods, look for work, etc), as is the case in many West African and Central Asian countries, a country's national malaria strategy will certainly be compromised.

Unless countries fighting malaria want to try the impossible — that is, shutting down their borders completely — they're going to have to work together.

Photo Credit: otisarchives2