title: [The awareness of malaria in primary care medicine].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Malaria is still one of the most prevalent infectious diseases worldwide. It is the most common specific cause of fever in returning travelers. Western countries, Israel amongst them, are no longer endemic for the disease. Nonetheless, morbidity is increasing due to the importation of malaria by travelers to endemic regions.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this study the authors observed the diagnostic process that 22 malaria patients underwent prior to their hospitalization at the Sheba Medical Center.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of the study were disturbing and showed underdiagnosis of malaria at a rate of 78% by primary care physicians and 28% by physicians in the emergency rooms. These rates are comparable to reports from other western countries and may be the result of a variety of reasons. The major reasons are the non-specific presentation of the disease, lack of awareness of the possibility of malaria and misinterpretation of laboratory results.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine C, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel. avisabbag@gmail.com
authors.forename: Avi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sabbag
authors.forename: Eli
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Schwartz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002675:Child, Preschool; D057210:Delayed Diagnosis / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007557:Israel / Q000453:epidemiology; D008288:Malaria / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D058007:Physicians, Primary Care / Q000592:standards; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D014195:Travel; D055815:Young Adult