Retrospective study of malaria cases treated in Newcastle General Hospital between 1990 and 1996.
BACKGROUND
Malaria, in particular Falciparum malaria, continues to pose a substantial risk to travelers to endemic areas.


METHODS
In this study we examined 93 case notes of patients with malaria treated in our department between 1990 and 1996.


RESULTS
Forty-seven (50.5%) patients had infection with Plasmodium falciparum, 41 (44.1%) had Plasmodium vivax and 5 (5.4%) had Plasmodium ovale. One of these patients had a dual infection with P. falciparum and P. vivax. None of our patients had Plasmodium malariae. Forty-four of the P. falciparum cases (93.6%) were imported from sub-Saharan Africa, 33 of the P. vivax cases (78.5%) were imported from the Indian subcontinent. All the P. ovale cases were imported from sub-Saharan Africa. Fifty-four of our patients (58.1%) did not take any form of chemoprophylaxis. Forty-two out of 93 (45.2%) of the "travelers" were settled immigrants in the UK. Seventy-eight percent of travelers of British caucasian origin took prophylaxis whereas only 13.5% of travelers of ethnic minorities origin took prophylaxis.


CONCLUSIONS
Greater awareness of the risk of malaria by travelers and medical practitioners in UK must be encouraged and in particular appropriate chemoprophylaxis instituted for travelers to chloroquine-resistant areas.
Elawad
B B
BB
Department of Infection and Tropical Medicine, University of Newcastle Medical School, Newcastle General Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom.
Ong
E L
EL
D000962:Antimalarials / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D008131:London; D016778:Malaria, Falciparum / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D016780:Malaria, Vivax / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D013019:South Africa / Q000453:epidemiology; D014195:Travel / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
D000962:Antimalarials