Travel Medicine and Infectious Disease
Volume 9, Issue 6, 2011, Pages 303-305

Eritrean and Sudanese migrants presenting with malaria in Israel (Article)

Saidel-Odes L.* , Riesenberg K. , Schlaeffer F. , Smolyakov R. , Kafka M. , Borer A.
  • a Infectious Diseases Institute, Soroka University Medical Center, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O. Box 151, Beer-Sheva 84101, Israel
  • b Infectious Diseases Institute, Soroka University Medical Center, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O. Box 151, Beer-Sheva 84101, Israel
  • c Infectious Diseases Institute, Soroka University Medical Center, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O. Box 151, Beer-Sheva 84101, Israel
  • d Infectious Diseases Institute, Soroka University Medical Center, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O. Box 151, Beer-Sheva 84101, Israel
  • e Hematology Laboratory, Soroka University Medical Center, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O. Box 151, Beer-Sheva 84101, Israel
  • f Infectious Diseases Institute, Soroka University Medical Center, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O. Box 151, Beer-Sheva 84101, Israel, Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology Unit, Soroka University Medical Center, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O. Box 151, Beer-Sheva 84101, Israel

Abstract

In Israel, a malaria-free country, we have noticed lately an increase of hospital admissions with malaria, parallel to the rise in the number of Eritrean and Sudanese migrants. Eritrea and Sudan are malaria-endemic countries; Plasmodium falciparum accounts for 85-90% and Plasmodium vivax accounts for 10-15% of malaria species in these areas. We aimed to describe the features of malaria in this migrant population by conducting a retrospective descriptive study of Eritrean and Sudanese migrants admitted with malaria during 1/2009-4/2010. Patient files were reviewed for demographics, clinical data, laboratory tests, treatment and outcome. 101 patients (mean age 24.9 (SD 5.6) years; 86.1% males) with malaria were identified. 87.1% were infected with P. vivax, 6% with P. falciparum, and 6.9% had both. All presented with pyrexia. None had respiratory or cerebral complications. Mean length of hospitalization was 2.49 (SD 1.5) days. No treatment failures or complications were observed. We conclude that in countries with waves of migrants from malaria-endemic areas, onset of fever should raise suspicion of malaria. Contrary to the known dominance of P. falciparum among malaria species in Eritrea and Sudan, the vast majority of migrants presented with P. vivax. The region of P. vivax acquisition remains unclear. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Author Keywords

Sudan Plasmodium vivax Malaria Eritrea Plasmodium falciparum

Index Keywords

descriptive research immigrant Eritrea Israel vomiting human priority journal chill length of stay laboratory test antimicrobial therapy Treatment Outcome headache male myalgia female Review Incidence Plasmodium vivax major clinical study primaquine fever abdominal cramp adult malaria falciparum Plasmodium vivax malaria single drug dose retrospective study mefloquine chloroquine Sudan
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-82755177832&doi=10.1016%2fj.tmaid.2011.09.003&partnerID=40&md5=778da671844bbd1b0f90d1d36efd4a38
DOI: 10.1016/j.tmaid.2011.09.003
ISSN: 14778939
Cited by: 4
Original Language: English