Importation of malaria into the USSR from Afghanistan, 1981-89.
Between 1981 and 1989, a total of 7683 cases of Plasmodium vivax [corrected] malaria were imported into the USSR from Afghanistan, mainly by demobilized military personnel. For 23.8% of these cases the clinical manifestations appeared within a month of returning to the USSR, for 22.5% after 1-3 months, for 20% after 4-6 months, for 2% after > 1 year, and for 0.6% after > 2 years. For 13 patients the clinical manifestations of malaria appeared 3 years after returning from Afghanistan (up to 38 months). Nearly 69% of the patients did not take malaria prophylaxis at all while they were in Afghanistan, and 19% took chloroquine irregularly. Only 12.5% of the patients received a full course of prophylactic treatment with primaquine before leaving Afghanistan. A total of 56% of the cases were detected during the period most favourable for malaria transmission in the USSR (May-September) and of these, half were imported into formerly malarious areas of the country. Activation of a surveillance system greatly reduced the consequences of the massive importation of malaria, to which the local vectors were susceptible.
Sergiev
V P
VP
Martsinovskij Institute of Medical Parasitology and Tropical Medicine (MIMPTP), Moscow, Russian Federation.
Baranova
A M
AM
Orlov
V S
VS
Mihajlov
L G
LG
Kouznetsov
R L
RL
Neujmin
N I
NI
Arsenieva
L P
LP
Shahova
M A
MA
Glagoleva
L A
LA
Osipova
M M
MM
D000346:Afghanistan / Q000453:epidemiology; D000818:Animals; D000852:Anopheles / Q000469:parasitology; D000962:Antimalarials / Q000008:administration & dosage; D006801:Humans; D007303:Insect Vectors; D016780:Malaria, Vivax / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000635:transmission*; D008889:Military Personnel; D012646:Self Administration; D014586:USSR / Q000453:epidemiology; D014857:Warfare
D000962:Antimalarials