Researchers study malaria with mobile phone records

The spread of malaria could be tracked and potentially limited through the study of mobile phone records, according to a new study.

Researchers examined more than 21 million calls in order to investigate the travel habits of residents in Zanzibar.

The study, which is likely to appear in January's issue of the Malaria journal, found that people often make trips to areas such as Tanzania, where malaria rates are high.

Andy Tatem, lead author of the paper, said: "That group of the population is the real risk if Zanzibar wants to eliminate malaria.

"That is the population group that is likely to be continually reintroducing infection."

The research showed that the majority of those studied did not leave Zanzibar, meaning that they were less likely to contribute to the spread of malaria.

Meanwhile, many others made trips to the nearby Dar es Salaam - a part of Tanzania where the disease is uncommon.

Earlier this week, the World Health Organisation claimed that cases of malaria had dropped by more than 30 per cent in some countries.

News brought to you by Global Health TV, connecting health communities