Abstract
Malaria continues to cause high levels of morbidity and mortality despite concerted efforts to control the disease. The global burden is predominantly shouldered by countries in which the disease is highly endemic. In juxtaposition, the majority of evidence on progress towards malaria elimination has been documented in countries where baseline transmission was low. A notable exception is the People's Republic of China, in which the last indigenous case of malaria was recorded in 2016 after reporting over 30 million cases across various transmission strata in 1949. This review examined the extent, range, and nature of the literature addressing key contributors to malaria elimination in China. PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, ProQuest, Google Scholar and the WHO website were searched for relevant articles, and the JBI guidelines were followed for evidence selection, data extraction, and presentation of findings. The 17 articles that satisfied the eligibility criteria demonstrated the centrality of high-level political commitment in the elimination of malaria in China. The national malaria strategy was regularly updated to reflect evolving priorities, and the health system building blocks were strengthened to meet strategic targets. A whole-of-society approach to malaria was adopted, with intersectoral, interprovincial, regional, international, and community-mobilizing collaboration mechanisms established. Collaboration with academic institutions resulted in advantageous discoveries such as artemisinin, the current global gold standard for the treatment of malaria. The impact of malaria-specific interventions was augmented by China's economic growth. The findings of the review highlight the importance of adopting a comprehensive approach to malaria control that addresses the structural determinants of ill-health alongside downstream interventions.