Altitudinal shift of malaria vectors and malaria elimination in Nepal

Background Malaria elimination is a goal of many endemic countries with the ultimate goal of global malaria eradication. Based on the achievements the country has made over the last decade, Nepal has been preparing for a malaria pre-elimination phase since 2011 with the ambitious vision of a malaria-free Nepal by 2026. However, a number of challenges have been identified in recent studies including high rates of relapse/ re-infection with Plasmodium vivax [1], persistence of Plasmodium falciparum and clinically suspected malaria, continuous import of malaria cases, underreporting of mixed infections (P. falciparum and P. vivax), and climate change [2]. In this study, we report, in addition, on altitudinal shifts of malaria vectors in Nepal.