In October 1995 the Ministry of Public Health and Population in Haiti surveyed 42 health facilities for the prevalence and distribution of malaria infection. They examined 1.083 peripheral blood smears from patients with suspected malaria; the overall slide positivity rate was 4.0 por cent (range, 0.0 por cent to 14.3 por cent). The rate was lowest among 1-to 4-year-old children (1.6 por cent) and highest among persons aged 15 and older (5.5 por cent). Clinical and microscopic diagnoses of malaria were unreliable; the overall sensitivity of microscopic diagnosis was 83.6 por cent, specificity was 88.6 por cent, and the predictive value of a positive slide was 22.2 por cent. Microscopic diagnoses need to be improved, and adequate surveillance must be reestablished to identify areas where transmission is most intense. The generally low level of malaria is encouraging and suggests that intensified control efforts targeted to the areas of highest prevalence could furhter diminish the effect of malaria in Haiti

Rev Panam Salud Publica;3(1),ene. 1998

Parasitemia; Plasmodium Malariae; Estudos Transversais; Microscopia; Diagnóstico da Situação de Saúde; Haiti

Kachur, Patrick S,Nicolas, Elda,Jean-François, Vély,Benitez, Antonio,Bloland, Peter B,Saint Jean, Yvan,Mount, Dwight L,Ruebush II, Trenton K,Nguyen-Dinh, Phuc (1998) Prevalence of malaria parasitemia and accuracy of microscopic diagnosis in Haiti, October 1995. Rev Panam Salud Publica;3(1) -,ene. 1998. Retrieved from http://www.scielosp.org/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1020-49891998000100006&lng=pt&nrm=iso