Plasmodium vivax Landscape in Brazil: Scenario and Challenges

Brazil is the largest country of Latin America, with a considerable portion of its territoritory within the malaria-endemic Amazon region in the North. Furthermore, a considerable portion of its territory is located within the Amazon region in the north. As a result, Brazil has reported half of the total malaria cases in the Americas in the last four decades. Recent progress in malaria control has been accompanied by an increasing proportion of Plasmodium vivax, underscoring a need for a better understanding of management and control of this species and associated challenges. Among these challenges, the contribution of vivax malaria relapses, earlier production of gametocytes (compared with Plasmodium falciparum), inexistent methods to diagnose hypnozoite carriers, and decreasing efficacy of available antimalarials need to be addressed. Innovative tools, strategies, and technologies are needed to achieve further progress toward sustainable malaria elimination. Further difficulties also arise from dealing with the inherent socioeconomic and environmental particularities of the Amazon region and its dynamic changes.