MALARIA SITUATION AND VECTOR CONTROL IN TURKEY

Abstract:
Turkey is the last country in the temperate climate zone on the edge of the European continent in which malaria is prevalent at endemic and occassionaly epidemic proportions. Turkey is 780,566 km2, 96.88 percent of which lies in Asia and the remaining 3.12 percent in Europe. Turkey-in-Europe divided from Turkey-in-Asia by the Dardanelles, the Marmara Sea and the Bosphorus. Topographically, Turkey is divided into four areas; Coastal Plain, Anatolia, Eastern Anatolia and Southeast Anatolia. Turkey has 13 anopheline species. An. sacharovi is the most important vector of malaria in Turkey. Other species of the An. maculipennis, An. superpictus, An. claviger and An. hyrcanus may play a role in malaria transmission in certain situations but none approaches sacharovi in vectorial importance. Epidemic malaria had played an important role in collapsing of many antique civilizations took place in Aegean and Mediterranean coast in the history of Anatolia. Today, malaria is one of the most important health problems in Turkey same in the past. Malaria will be one of the most important health problems in Turkey and in the world as well in the coming century. Turkey is one of the countries which has great seasonal population movements related with the agricultural, construction and tourism activities. Additionally it has one of the heaviest transit-ways in the world due to its unique position between Europe and Asia and even Africa. We know that three parasite species were observed as indigenous cases in the history of Turkey. Today, although occasional imported cases of P. malaria and P. falciparum are observed, all indigenous cases of malaria are P. vivax. But there is always a possibility for this species to re-establish in Turkey in the future.