In the first nine months of the current year (ends March 19), 53 cases of malaria were reported in the southern Hormozgan Province, a 25% reduction compared to the figure in the same period last year, said Dr Mohammad Shekari, head of Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences. The number of infected patients dropped to 53 from the previous year’s 69, IRNA quoted him as saying. This indicates the success of the national malaria elimination program in the province. The plan can help eliminate malarial infection from the country by 2025 if implemented efficiently. “In 2009, nearly 577 individuals were infected by the malarial parasitic infection in the province,” Shekari said.
He noted that in 2008, 11,000 cases of malaria were registered across the country but the figure dropped to 246 in 2014.
A consultative meeting was held on January 4 to 6 at the university to assess the malaria control program.
