Increased prevalence of Plasmodium falciparum malaria in Honduras, Central America
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1998Author
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We report on our investigation of a malaria outbreak in Honduras, Central America, in January 1997. We tested 202 patients with fever and chills using thin and thick blood film microscopy. Sixteen patients lived in the city and the rest lived in rural areas. A total of 95 samples (47%) were positive for malaria parasites. Seventy-nine percent (63/80) of the rural patients were infected with Plasmodium vivax and 21% (17/80) were infected with P. falciparum. In the urban area, all 15 infected patients had P. vivax malaria and none showed evidence of P. falciparum. Since previous reports indicate that falciparum malaria accounts for only 2% of the overall malaria infections in Honduras, the results reported here suggest that there is a dramatic increase in falciparum malaria in the area of Honduras investigated in this study.(AU) Notificamos los resultados de un estudio de un brote de malaria que se produjo en Honduras, Centroamérica, en enero de 1997. Sometimos a examen microscópico frotis delgados y frotis gruesos de la sangre de 202 pacientes con fiebre y escalofríos. Dieciséis pacientes eran habitantes de la zona urbana y el resto de la zona rural. Un total de 95 especímenes (47%) fueron positivos a parásitos de la malaria. Setenta y ocho por ciento (62/80) de los pacientes del área rural estaban infestados con Plasmodium vivax y 22% (17/80) con P. falciparum. En la zona urbana, todos los 15 pacientes que estaban infestados tenían P. vivax y en ninguno se detectó P. falciparum. Ya que según informes previos la malaria de tipo falciparum representa solamente 2% de todos los casos de malaria en Honduras, nuestros resultados sugieren que hay un gran incremento del número de casos de malaria falciparum en la zona de Honduras en que se llevó a cabo esta investigación.(AU)
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http://www.scielosp.org/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1020-49891998000700007&lng=pt&nrm=iso&tlng=enhttps://iris.paho.org/handle/10665.2/7815
Citation
Palmer, Carol J,Makler, Michael,Klaskala, Winslow I,Lindo, John F,Baum, Marianna K,Ager, Arba L (1998) Increased prevalence of Plasmodium falciparum malaria in Honduras, Central America. Rev Panam Salud Publica;4(1) 40-42,jul. 1998. Retrieved from http://www.scielosp.org/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1020-49891998000700007&lng=pt&nrm=iso&tlng=en
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