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BackgroundThe suburban transmission of malaria in Selangor, Malaysia’s most developed and populous state still remains a concern for public health in this region. Despite much successful control efforts directed at its reduction, sporadic cases, mostly brought in by foreigners have continued to occur. In addition, cases of simian malaria caused by Plasmodium knowlesi, some with fatal outcome have caused grave concern to health workers. The aim of this study was to investigate the possibility of local malaria transmission in suburban regions of Selangor, which are adjacent to secondary rainforests.FindingsA malaria survey spanning 7 years (2006 - 2012) was conducted in Selangor. A total of 1623 laboratory confirmed malaria cases were reported from Selangor’s nine districts. While 72.6% of these cases (1178/1623) were attributed to imported malaria (cases originating from other countries), 25.5% (414/1623) were local cases and 1.9% (31/1623) were considered as relapse and unclassified cases combined. In this study, the most prevalent infection was P. vivax (1239 cases, prevalence 76.3%) followed by P. falciparum (211, 13.0%), P. knowlesi (75, 4.6%), P. malariae (71, 4.4%) and P. ovale (1, 0.06%). Mixed infections comprising of P. vivax and P. falciparum were confirmed (26, 1.6%). Entomological surveys targeting the residences of malaria patients’ showed that the most commonly trapped Anopheles species was An. maculatus. No oocysts or sporozoites were found in the An. maculatus collected. Nevertheless, the possibility of An. maculatus being the malaria vector in the investigated locations was high due to its persistent occurrence in these areas.ConclusionsMalaria cases reported in this study were mostly imported cases. However the co-existence of local cases and potential Plasmodium spp. vectors should be cause for concern. The results of this survey reflect the need of maintaining closely monitored malaria control programs and continuous extensive malaria surveillance in Peninsula Malaysia.

BackgroundThe brown widow spider (Latrodectus geometricus Koch, 1841) has colonised many parts of the world from its continent of origin, Africa. By at least 1841, the species had successfully established populations in South America and has more recently expanded its range to the southern states of North America. This highly adaptable spider has been far more successful in finding its niche around the world than its famous cousins, the black widow, Latrodectus mactans, found in the south-eastern states of North America, and the red-back, Latrodectus hasselti, found mostly in Australia, New Zealand and Japan.MethodsWe performed an extensive web search of brown widow sightings and mapped the location of each sighting using ArcGIS. Specimens reputedly of the species L. geometricus were collected at three localities in Peninsular Malaysia. The spiders were identified and documented based on an examination of morphological characteristics and DNA barcoding.ResultsThe spiders found in Peninsular Malaysia were confirmed to be Latrodectus geometricus based on their morphological characteristics and DNA barcodes. We recorded 354 sightings of the brown widow in 58 countries, including Peninsular Malaysia.ConclusionReports from the Americas and the Far East suggest a global-wide invasion of the brown widow spider. Herein we report the arrival of the brown widow spider in Peninsular Malaysia and provide notes on the identification of the species and its recently expanded range.

Background: The confinement measures during COVID-19 had a massive effect on physical and psychological health in public. This study assessed the impact of containment and coping behaviour among the Malaysia public during the COVID-19 pandemic. Questions assessing the impact of containment and coping behaviours were developed and psychometrically tested.Methods: Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted with the items using principal component analysis extraction and Varimax rotation. Partial least squares structural equation modelling was used to determine the relationship between coping and impact.Results: The 13-item of impact and 10-item coping instruments were developed with three dimensions identified through EFA. Both scales demonstrated excellent composite reliability and good convergent validity. The survey findings revealed that the impact on individual psychological aspects was prominent, followed by well-being and lifestyle. Mindfulness and physical coping strategies were most commonly reported. Coping through seeking help from health professionals and hotlines had a positive direct effect on well-being and lifestyle (b = 0.231, p < 0.001), psychological (B = 0.132, p < 0.001), and employment-related (0.194, p < 0.001) impacts. Coping through mindfulness practise had a negative effect on well-being and lifestyle-related impact (B = −0.180, p < 0.001) and employment-related impact (B = −0.096, p = 0.008).Conclusions: Despite some limitation, the scales for measuring impact and coping behaviours have the potential to be used as a measurement tool in future studies. Findings highlight the enormous impact of the pandemic on psychological well-being and lifestyles. Health authorities should support individual coping as it was found to be an important resilience-related factor to mitigate the impacts of containment during the pandemic.

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