Korean J Parasitol.  2016 Jun;54(3):261-264. 10.3347/kjp.2016.54.3.261.

Imported Malaria over Fifteen Years in an Inner City Teaching Hospital of Washington DC

• Yeruva SL
• Sinha A
• Sarraf-Yazdy M
• Gajjala J

• KMID: 2348266
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3347/kjp.2016.54.3.261

Abstract

As endemic malaria is not commonly seen in the United States, most of the cases diagnosed and reported are associated with travel to and from the endemic places of malaria. As the number of imported cases of malaria has been increasing since 1973, it is important to look into these cases to study the morbidity and mortality associated with this disease in the United States. In this study, we would like to share our experience in diagnosing and treating these patients at our institution. We did a retrospective chart review of 37 cases with a documented history of imported malaria from 1998 to 2012. Among them, 16 patients had complicated malaria during that study period, with a mean length of hospital stay of 3.5 days. Most common place of travel was Africa, and chemoprophylaxis was taken by only 11% of patients. Travel history plays a critical role in suspecting the diagnosis and in initiating prompt treatment.

Keyword

Plasmodium falciparum; Plasmodium vivax; imported malaria; teaching hospital; Washington DC

MeSH Terms

Africa
Chemoprevention
Diagnosis
Hospitals, Teaching*
Humans
Length of Stay
Malaria*
Mortality
Plasmodium falciparum
Plasmodium vivax
Retrospective Studies
United States
Washington*