Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41934231›Full record

SynthesisJournal of travel medicine2026

Estimating the burden of imported malaria in the Asia Pacific region: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Kinley Penjor, Binay Thapa, Tsheten Tsheten, Soumya Mazumdar, Nasser Bagheri, Manas Kotepui, Kinley Wangdi

Abstract readSystematic ReviewMeta-Analysis
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Journal of travel medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Kinley PenjorHEAL Global Research Centre, Health Research Institute, University of Canberra, Bruce, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory ACT 2617, Australia.ORCID 0000-0001-9529-4096
Binay ThapaHEAL Global Research Centre, Health Research Institute, University of Canberra, Bruce, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory ACT 2617, Australia.
Tsheten TshetenCommunity Services Unit, Australian Institute of Health and Wellbeing, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory ACT 2617, Australia.
Soumya MazumdarHEAL Global Research Centre, Health Research Institute, University of Canberra, Bruce, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory ACT 2617, Australia.
Nasser BagheriHEAL Global Research Centre, Health Research Institute, University of Canberra, Bruce, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory ACT 2617, Australia.
Manas KotepuiFaculty of Science, Nakhon Phanom University, Nakhon Phanom 48000, Thailand.
Kinley WangdiHEAL Global Research Centre, Health Research Institute, University of Canberra, Bruce, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory ACT 2617, Australia.

Funding

Australian National Health and Medical Research Council Investigator Fund 2021
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionImported malaria is a major barrier to achieve and sustain malaria elimination for countries in Asia Pacific. This systematic review and meta-analysis quantified the pooled prevalence of imported malaria in the region.

methodsThe systematic review and meta-analysis protocol was registered in International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (CRD420251008817). Three databases including PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science were used for literature search from 1 January 2010 to 31 December 2024 for imported malaria in 22 Asia Pacific malaria eliminating countries. Pooled prevalence with 95% confidence intervals (CI) was calculated using an inverse variance random-effects meta-analysis. Heterogeneity, sensitivity analysis and publication bias were also assessed.

resultsBased on 42 studies conducted in nine Asia Pacific countries with a total of 435 454 malaria cases, the pooled prevalence of imported malaria was 89.0% (95% CI: 75.9-95.5, I2-100%, n = 166 412 imported cases). The pooled prevalence of imported malaria in males, Plasmodium falciparum, and origin from Africa was 94% (95% CI: 92.0-96.0, I2-97.5%, n = 70 619), 57.0% (95% CI: 47.2-65.5, I2-99.5%, n = 60 999) and 64.3% (95% CI: 43.1-81.0, I2-99.5%, n = 67 511), respectively. The imported malaria varied by occupation with 53.0% (95% CI: 34.0-71.0, I2-99.7%, n = 7989) in labourer to 40.0% (95% CI: 15.0-72.0, I2-99.7%, n = 9611) in farmers. The subgroup meta-analysis revealed pooled prevalence of 84.6% (95% CI: 68.3-93.3, I2 -100% n = 154 792) in pre-elimination phase, and it ranged between 95.0% in Sri Lanka (95% CI: 13.0-100, n = 761) and China (95% CI:85.8-98.0, n = 156 031) to 3.2% (95% CI: 2.87-3.47, n = 407) in South Korea.

conclusionImported malaria constitutes a significant proportion of malaria cases in Asia Pacific malaria eliminating countries. The findings highlight the critical need for strengthened cross border coordination for surveillance, and tailored interventions to achieve and sustain malaria elimination efforts in the region.

Indexed as

Communicable Diseases, ImportedMalariaTravelAfricaAsiaHumansPrevalenceAsiacross bordereliminationImportedmalariameta-analysisPacificprevalence

Identifiers

PMID41934231
PMCPMC13503382

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.