Plasmodium falciparum malaria is a deadly pathogen. The invasion of red blood cells (RBCs) by merozoites is a target for vaccine development. Although anti-merozoite antibodies can block invasion in vitro, there is no efficacy in vivo. To explain this discrepancy we hypothesized that complement activation could enhance RBC invasion by binding to the complement receptor 1 (CR1).

Malaria infection poses a serious public health problem in endemic countries. As per World Malaria Report 2015, it is estimated that 3.2 billion people in 97 countries are at risk of being infected with malaria; 214 million cases of malaria with 4,38,000 malaria induced deaths are reported during the year . Clinical consequences of malaria result primarily from parasitic invasion of red blood cells (RBCs). Inside the RBCs, the parasite metabolizes the host haemoglobin in the acidic environment of the parasite’s food vacuole.

Although India had some successes in controlling malaria from the time of independence, it still faces a substantial socio-economic burden from this disease. This paper presents a case study of a highly endemic primary health centre with an annual parasite incidence of 30.9 in the tribal regions of Andhra Pradesh. It reviews the various operations involved in vector control methods like bed nets, insecticide spraying and anti-larval operations.