3: Location & Species

Hello! During week 3 of my senior project, I chose the region and species I will be focusing my targeted control method/ combination of methods on, which is the Anopheles culicifacies, one of the most prevalent major vectors for malaria transmission in Pakistan, and the Indian subcontinent in general. 

In Pakistan, malaria is most often found in the provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, and Sindh. Plasmodium infections in Pakistan are generally attached to Plasmodium vivax, the most frequent cause of malaria recurring. Plasmodium falciprum, as I mentioned last week, is another prevalent parasite species in Pakistan, causing 36% of infections while P. vivax are responsible for approximately 64%. I have not run across any significant issues in this area of research, however I did pause data gathering to narrow down species before continuing, as I am now unsure of what data I will actually make use of. I may simply end up focusing on transmissions and the effectiveness of control methods rather than the comparison of species in Pakistan. 

After many environmental changes in recent years, part of what I will be expanding and researching more on next week, Pakistan has witnessed a surge in malaria cases. As for what piqued my interest in the region of Pakistan, there has been a jump from half a million cases in 2021 to over 2.5 million in 2022 according to the World Malaria Report 2023. Most other countries with a high prevalence of malaria have had this issue for many years consistently and with generally either slow recovery or no significant change in cases. Pakistan has had a recent increase, and more than countries like Nigeria, Uganda, or the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which together account for over 50% of the malaria cases globally.

Thanks for reading my week 3 blog! During week 4 I will be focusing on the environment in Pakistan and the spike in malaria cases, as well as why certain species are more common in Pakistan as opposed to where malaria is more prominent in countries in Africa. Come back next week for more progress on my report and beginning genetic variation research as well as a first look into ecology.