Abstract
Plasmodium knowlesi is a zoonotic malaria that could infect between macaques and humans. The parasite is transmitted by a group of mosquitos that belongs to Anopheles group. Even though the number of human malaria cases in Malaysia has been significantly reduced for the past few decades, the emerging of this zoonotic malaria has become one of public health concern. The main natural hosts for this zoonotic malaria are long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis) and pig-tailed macaque (Macaca nemestrina). Conventionally, many of this zoonotic malaria cases are reported from rural area. However, as human activities expand with urbanisation and deforestation, these macaques migrate and inhabit areas that are also inhabited by the humans. This ultimately leads to transmissions of Plasmodium knowlesi. Outbreaks of zoonotic malaria infection suggest the human-macaques interaction maybe closer than conventionally described. This is evidenced by two zoonotic malaria outbreaks that have occurred in an endemic area of Tampin District, Negeri Sembilan on two separate outbreaks in the same year. Enforcement activities too have led to the discovery of macaque being kept illegally in a populated housing premise. This article serves as an eye opener to public health sector on the epidemiology of emerging zoonotic malaria cases in urban areas.
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@proceedings{APCPH-2019-69,
title = {Is Malaria Knowlesi Really Confined Only at Rural Community?},
author = {Megat Hasan Megat Mazhar Khair and Fadzilah Abdullah and Jenn Zhueng Tam},
year = {2019},
date = {2019-07-22},
urldate = {2019-07-22},
journal = {6th Asia-Pacific Conference on Public Health 2019 Proceedings},
issue = {6},
abstract = {Plasmodium knowlesi is a zoonotic malaria that could infect between macaques and humans. The parasite is transmitted by a group of mosquitos that belongs to Anopheles group. Even though the number of human malaria cases in Malaysia has been significantly reduced for the past few decades, the emerging of this zoonotic malaria has become one of public health concern. The main natural hosts for this zoonotic malaria are long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis) and pig-tailed macaque (Macaca nemestrina). Conventionally, many of this zoonotic malaria cases are reported from rural area. However, as human activities expand with urbanisation and deforestation, these macaques migrate and inhabit areas that are also inhabited by the humans. This ultimately leads to transmissions of Plasmodium knowlesi. Outbreaks of zoonotic malaria infection suggest the human-macaques interaction maybe closer than conventionally described. This is evidenced by two zoonotic malaria outbreaks that have occurred in an endemic area of Tampin District, Negeri Sembilan on two separate outbreaks in the same year. Enforcement activities too have led to the discovery of macaque being kept illegally in a populated housing premise. This article serves as an eye opener to public health sector on the epidemiology of emerging zoonotic malaria cases in urban areas.},
note = {Type: ORAL PRESENTATION; Organisation:},
keywords = {macaque, malaria, Negeri Sembilan, Plasmodium knowlesi, zoonosis},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {proceedings}
}