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T R, C D, A R, Jc Y. Nine years of imported malaria in a teaching hospital in Belgium: Demographics, clinical characteristics, and outcomes. Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis 2024; 108:116206. [PMID: 38335879 DOI: 10.1016/j.diagmicrobio.2024.116206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2023] [Revised: 10/06/2023] [Accepted: 01/30/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Imported malaria is often misdiagnosed due to the aspecific symptoms and lack of familiarity among clinicians. This study aims to evaluate a decade-long trend of imported malaria cases in a Belgian teaching hospital by analyzing demographics, clinical characteristics, and outcomes. METHODS Medical records of 223 patients with confirmed malaria diagnoses between 2010 and 2019 were analyzed. RESULTS Most patients were male (63.2%), aged 18-65 years (77.1%), and visiting friends or relatives (40.8%). Central Africa was the most common travel destination (54.3%), and 63.7% did not take prophylaxis. Symptoms were flu-like, with fever (91.9%) being most prevalent. P. falciparum was identified in 88.3% of cases. A high proportion of severe cases (41.7%) and a low mortality rate (0.9%) were recorded. A severe form of the disease is associated with a more extended hospital stay than uncomplicated form (median of 5 vs. 4 days, p < 0.001). Thirty-five-point five percent [33/93] of patients with severe malaria have had a previous malaria infection compared to 50.8% [66/130] of uncomplicated patients (p= 0.013) wich was statistically significant. CONCLUSION Malaria disproportionately affects VFRs traveling to Central Africa, and flu-like symptoms should raise suspicion. Prophylaxis is essential to prevent the disease, and early diagnosis is critical for effective management. A severe form of the disease is associated with a more extended hospital stay than uncomplicated form and people with a previous history of malaria have a less severe disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ratovonjanahary T
- Epidemiology and Biostatistics Unit, Institut de Recherche Expérimentale et Clinique (IREC), Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Danwang C
- Clinton Health Access Initiative, Inc., Boston, MA, USA
| | - Robert A
- Epidemiology and Biostatistics Unit, Institut de Recherche Expérimentale et Clinique (IREC), Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Yombi Jc
- Department of Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium; Institut de Recherche Expérimentale et Clinique (IREC), Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium.
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Osoro CB, Dellicour S, Ochodo E, Young T, Ter Kuile F, Gutman JR, Hill J. Healthcare provider and drug dispenser knowledge and adherence to guidelines for the case management of malaria in pregnancy in the context of multiple first-line artemisinin-based combination therapy in western Kenya. Malar J 2023; 22:262. [PMID: 37679753 PMCID: PMC10486056 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-023-04692-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Concerns about emerging resistance to artemether-lumefantrine (AL) in Africa prompted the pilot introduction of multiple first-line therapies (MFT) in Western Kenya, potentially exposing women-of-childbearing-age (WOCBA) to anti-malarials with unknown safety profiles in the first trimester. The study assessed healthcare provider knowledge and adherence to national guidelines for managing malaria in pregnancy in the context of the MFT pilot. METHODS From March to April 2022, a cross-sectional study was conducted in 50 health facilities (HF) and 40 drug outlets (DO) using structured questionnaires to assess pregnancy detection, malaria diagnosis, and treatment choices by trimester. Differences between HF and DO providers and between MFT and non-MFT HFs were assessed using Chi-square tests. RESULTS Of 174 providers (77% HF, 23% DO), 56% were from MFT pilot facilities. Most providers had tertiary education; 5% HF and 20% DO had only primary or secondary education. More HF than DO providers had knowledge of malaria treatment guidelines (62% vs. 40%, p = 0.023), received training in malaria in pregnancy (49% vs. 20%, p = 0.002), and reported assessing for pregnancy in WOCBA (98% vs. 78%, p < 0.001). Most providers insisted on parasitological diagnosis, with 59% HF using microscopy and 85% DO using rapid diagnostic tests. More HF than DO providers could correctly name the drugs for treating uncomplicated malaria in the first trimester (oral quinine, or AL if quinine is unavailable) (90% vs. 58%, p < 0.001), second and third trimesters (artemisinin-based combination therapy) (84% vs. 70%, p = 0.07), and for severe malaria (parenteral artesunate/artemether) (94% vs. 60%, p < 0.001). Among HF providers, those in the MFT pilot had more knowledge of malaria treatment guidelines (67% vs. 49%, p = 0.08) and had received training on treatment of malaria in pregnancy (56% vs. 32%, p = 0.03). Few providers (10% HF and 12% DO) had adequate knowledge of malaria treatment in pregnancy, defined as the correct drug and dose for uncomplicated and severe malaria in all trimesters. CONCLUSIONS Knowledge of national malaria in pregnancy treatment guidelines among providers in Western Kenya is suboptimal. Robust training on appropriate anti-malarial and dosage is needed, particularly given the recent change in recommendation for artemether-lumefantrine use in the first trimester. Supervision of DO and HF practices is essential for correct treatment of malaria in pregnancy in the context of MFT programmes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline B Osoro
- Centre for Global Health Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, P.O. Box 1578, Kisumu, 40100, Kenya.
- Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Department of Global Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, P.O. Box 241, Cape Town, 8000, South Africa.
| | - Stephanie Dellicour
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool Pembroke Place, Liverpool, L3 5QA, UK
| | - Eleanor Ochodo
- Centre for Global Health Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, P.O. Box 1578, Kisumu, 40100, Kenya
- Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Department of Global Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, P.O. Box 241, Cape Town, 8000, South Africa
| | - Taryn Young
- Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Department of Global Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, P.O. Box 241, Cape Town, 8000, South Africa
| | - Feiko Ter Kuile
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool Pembroke Place, Liverpool, L3 5QA, UK
| | - Julie R Gutman
- Malaria Branch, Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA, 30333, USA
| | - Jenny Hill
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool Pembroke Place, Liverpool, L3 5QA, UK
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Lin K, Wang S, Sui Y, Zhang T, Luo F, Shi F, Qian Y, Li J, Lu S, Cotter C, Wang D, Li S. Evaluation of an Innovative Point-of-Care Rapid Diagnostic Test for the Identification of Imported Malaria Parasites in China. Trop Med Infect Dis 2023; 8:296. [PMID: 37368714 DOI: 10.3390/tropicalmed8060296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2023] [Revised: 04/20/2023] [Accepted: 05/25/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND China was certified malaria-free by the World Health Organization on 30 June 2021. However, due to imported malaria, maintaining a malaria-free status in China is an ongoing challenge. There are critical gaps in the detection of imported malaria through the currently available tools, especially for non-falciparum malaria. In the study, a novel point-of-care Rapid Diagnostic Test designed for the detection of imported malaria infections was evaluated in the field. METHODS Suspected imported malaria cases reported from Guangxi and Anhui Provinces of China during 2018-2019 were enrolled to evaluate the novel RDTs. Diagnostic performance of the novel RDTs was evaluated based on its sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and Cohen's kappa coefficient, using polymerase chain reaction as the gold standard. The Additive and absolute Net Reclassification Index were calculated to compare the diagnostic performance between the novel RDTs and Wondfo RDTs (control group). RESULTS A total of 602 samples were tested using the novel RDTs. Compared to the results of PCR, the novel RDTs presented sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, and diagnostic accuracy rates of 78.37%, 95.05%, 94.70%, 79.59%, and 86.21%, respectively. Among the positive samples, the novel RDTs found 87.01%, 71.31%, 81.82%, and 61.54% of P. falciparum, P. ovale, P. vivax, and P. malariae, respectively. The ability to detect non-falciparum malaria did not differ significantly between the novel and Wondfo RDTs (control group). However, Wondfo RDTs can detect more P. falciparum cases than the novel RDTs (96.10% vs. 87.01%, p < 0.001). After the introduction of the novel RDTs, the value of the additive and absolute Net Reclassification Index is 1.83% and 1.33%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS The novel RDTs demonstrated the ability to distinguish P. ovale and P. malariae from P. vivax which may help to improve the malaria post-elimination surveillance tools in China.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kangming Lin
- Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Nanning 530028, China
| | - Shuqi Wang
- Anhui Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hefei 230601, China
| | - Yuan Sui
- Brown School, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA
| | - Tao Zhang
- Anhui Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hefei 230601, China
| | - Fei Luo
- Chongqing Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Chongqing 400042, China
| | - Feng Shi
- National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Chinese Center for Tropical Diseases Research), National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Parasite and Vector Biology, WHO Collaborating Center for Tropical Diseases, National Center for International Research on Tropical Diseases, Shanghai 200025, China
| | - Yingjun Qian
- National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Chinese Center for Tropical Diseases Research), National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Parasite and Vector Biology, WHO Collaborating Center for Tropical Diseases, National Center for International Research on Tropical Diseases, Shanghai 200025, China
| | - Jun Li
- Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Nanning 530028, China
| | - Shenning Lu
- National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Chinese Center for Tropical Diseases Research), National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Parasite and Vector Biology, WHO Collaborating Center for Tropical Diseases, National Center for International Research on Tropical Diseases, Shanghai 200025, China
| | - Chris Cotter
- Malaria Elimination Initiative, Institute for Global Health Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94109, USA
- Department of Women's and Children's Health, Uppsala University, 75309 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Duoquan Wang
- National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Chinese Center for Tropical Diseases Research), National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Parasite and Vector Biology, WHO Collaborating Center for Tropical Diseases, National Center for International Research on Tropical Diseases, Shanghai 200025, China
- School of Global Health, Chinese Center for Tropical Diseases Research, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 201100, China
| | - Shizhu Li
- National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Chinese Center for Tropical Diseases Research), National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Parasite and Vector Biology, WHO Collaborating Center for Tropical Diseases, National Center for International Research on Tropical Diseases, Shanghai 200025, China
- School of Global Health, Chinese Center for Tropical Diseases Research, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 201100, China
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Azizi H, Davtalab Esmaeili E, Abbasi F. Availability of malaria diagnostic tests, anti-malarial drugs, and the correctness of treatment: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Malar J 2023; 22:127. [PMID: 37072759 PMCID: PMC10111310 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-023-04555-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Accepted: 04/07/2023] [Indexed: 04/20/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Health facilities' availability of malaria diagnostic tests and anti-malarial drugs (AMDs), and the correctness of treatment are critical for the appropriate case management, and malaria surveillance programs. It is also reliable evidence for malaria elimination certification in low-transmission settings. This meta-analysis aimed to estimate summary proportions for the availability of malaria diagnostic tests, AMDs, and the correctness of treatment. METHODS The Web of Science, Scopus, Medline, Embase, and Malaria Journal were systematically searched up to 30th January 2023. The study searched any records reporting the availability of diagnostic tests and AMDs and the correctness of malaria treatment. Eligibility and risk of bias assessment of studies were conducted independently in a blinded way by two reviewers. For the pooling of studies, meta-analysis using random effects model were carried out to estimate summary proportions of the availability of diagnostic tests, AMDs, and correctness of malaria treatment. RESULTS A total of 18 studies, incorporating 7,429 health facilities, 9,745 health workers, 41,856 febrile patients, and 15,398 malaria patients, and no study in low malaria transmission areas, were identified. The pooled proportion of the availability of malaria diagnostic tests, and the first-line AMDs in health facilities was 76% (95% CI 67-84); and 83% (95% CI 79-87), respectively. A pooled meta-analysis using random effects indicates the overall proportion of the correctness of malaria treatment 62% (95% CI 54-69). The appropriate malaria treatment was improved over time from 2009 to 2023. In the sub-group analysis, the correctness of treatment proportion was 53% (95% CI 50-63) for non-physicians health workers and 69% (95% CI 55-84) for physicians. CONCLUSION Findings of this review indicated that the correctness of malaria treatment and the availability of AMDs and diagnostic tests need improving to progress the malaria elimination stage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hosein Azizi
- Research Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
- Women's Reproductive Health Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
| | | | - Fariba Abbasi
- Women's Reproductive Health Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
- Department of Diseases Control and Prevention, Vice-chancellor for Health, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
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Khan MI, Qureshi H, Bae SJ, Khattak AA, Anwar MS, Ahmad S, Hassan F, Ahmad S. Malaria prevalence in Pakistan: A systematic review and meta-analysis (2006-2021). Heliyon 2023; 9:e15373. [PMID: 37123939 PMCID: PMC10133748 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e15373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2022] [Revised: 03/20/2023] [Accepted: 04/04/2023] [Indexed: 05/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Malaria is one of the major public health issues globally. Malaria infection spreads through mosquito bites from infected female Anopheles mosquitoes. This study aims to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis on malaria prevalence in Pakistan from 2006 to 2021. We searched PubMed, Science Direct, EMBASE, EMCare, and Google Scholar to acquire data on the prevalence of malaria infections. We performed a meta-analysis with a random-effects model to obtain the pooled prevalence of malaria, Plasmodium vivax, and Plasmodium falciparum. Meta-analysis was computed using R 4.1.2 Version statistical software. I2 and time series analysis were performed to identify a possible source of heterogeneity across studies. A funnel plot and the Freeman-Tukey Double Arcsine Transformed Proportion were used to evaluate the presence of publication bias. Out of the 315 studies collected, only 45 full-text articles were screened and included in the final measurable meta-analysis. Pooled malaria prevalence in Pakistan was 23.3%, with Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium falciparum, and mixed infection rates of 79.13%, 16.29%, and 3.98%, respectively. Similarly, the analysis revealed that the maximum malaria prevalence was 99.79% in Karachi and the minimum was 1.68% in the Larkana district. Amazingly, this systematic review and meta-analysis detected a wide variation in malaria prevalence in Pakistan. Pakistan's public health department and other competent authorities should pay close attention to the large decrease in mosquito populations to curb the infection rate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Imran Khan
- Department of Industrial Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Humera Qureshi
- Department of Industrial Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Suk Joo Bae
- Department of Industrial Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul, South Korea
- Corresponding author.
| | - Aamer Ali Khattak
- Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, The University of Haripur, Haripur, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Shahid Anwar
- Department of AI and Software Gachon University Seongnam-si 13120, South Korea
- Corresponding author.
| | - Sadique Ahmad
- EIAS, Data Science and Blockchain Laboratory, College of Computer and Information Sciences, Prince Sultan University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Fazal Hassan
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Haripur, Haripur, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
| | - Shabir Ahmad
- IT Convergence Engineering, Gachon University, Gyonggi-do, Seongnam-si, Sujeong-gu, 13120, Republic of Korea
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Azizi H, Majdzadeh R, Ahmadi A, Raeisi A, Nazemipour M, Mansournia MA, Schapira A. Development and validation of an online tool for assessment of health care providers' management of suspected malaria in an area, where transmission has been interrupted. Malar J 2022; 21:304. [PMID: 36303211 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-022-04308-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2022] [Accepted: 09/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The alertness and practice of health care providers (HCPs) in the correct management of suspected malaria (CMSM) (vigilance) is a central component of malaria surveillance following elimination, and it must be established before malaria elimination certification can be granted. This study was designed to develop and validate a rapid tool, Simulated Malaria Online Tool (SMOT), to evaluate HCPs' practice in relation to the CMSM. METHODS The study was conducted in East Azerbaijan Province, Islamic Republic of Iran, where no malaria transmission has been reported since 2005. An online tool presenting a suspected malaria case for detection of HCPs' failures in recognition, diagnosis, treatment and reporting was developed based on literature review and expert opinion. A total of 360 HCPs were allocated to two groups. In one group their performance was tested by simulated patient (SP) methodology as gold standard, and one month later by the online tool to allow assessment of its sensitivity. In the other group, they were tested only by the online tool to allow assessment of any possible bias incurred by the exposure to SPs before the tool. RESULTS The sensitivity of the tool was (98.7%; CI 93.6-99.3). The overall agreement and kappa statistics were 96.6% and 85.6%, respectively. In the group tested by both methods, the failure proportion by SP was 86.1% (CI 80.1-90.8) and by tool 87.2% (CI 81.4-91.7). In the other group, the tool found 85.6% (CI 79.5-90.3) failures. There were no significant differences in detecting failures within or between the groups. CONCLUSION The SMOT tool not only showed high validity for detecting HCPs' failures in relation to CMSM, but it had high rates of agreement with the real-world situation, where malaria transmission has been interrupted. The tool can be used by program managers to evaluate HCPs' performance and identify sub-groups, whose malaria vigilance should be strengthened. It could also contribute to the evidence base for certification of malaria elimination, and to strengthening prevention of re-establishment of malaria transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hosein Azizi
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.,Research Center of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Reza Majdzadeh
- School of Health and Social Care, University of Essex, Colchester, UK.,School of Public Health, Knowledge Utilization Research Center, and Community Based Participatory Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ayat Ahmadi
- Knowledge Utilization Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ahmad Raeisi
- National Programme Manager for Malaria Elimination, Department of Parasitology and Mycology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Maryam Nazemipour
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohammad Ali Mansournia
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Allan Schapira
- Bicol University College of Medicine, Legazpi City, Philippines
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