SEASONAL VARIATIONS OF VIVAX AND FALCIPARUM MALARIA: AN OBSERVATION AT A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL

Authors

  • Shahid Jamil
  • Muhammad Nawaz Khan

Abstract

Background: Malaria is a major public health problem in the malaria endemic zones of the world.Various factors influence the prevalence of malaria. This study was conducted to determine thevariation in frequency of Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum malaria in differentseasons of the year in Khyber Teaching Hospital, Peshawar. Methods: A total of 411 patientswere included in the study. All these febrile patients were reported to have trophozoites of eitherPlasmodium vivax or Plasmodium falciparum malaria on Giemsa stained thick and thin smears.The frequency of vivax and falciparum malaria was worked out and statistically analysed fordifferent season of the year. The study was carried out from 2nd Jan 2004 till 31st December 2008.Results: Out of total 411 diagnosed malaria cases, total 134 (32.60%) presented in the autumnseason (vivax=33.58%, and falciparum=66.42%), 37 (9%) in winter season (vivax=32.4%, andfalciparum=67.6%), 76 (18.49%) in spring season (vivax=93.4% and falciparum 6.6%) and 164(39.90%) in summer season (vivax=89.6, and falciparum=10.4%). The malaria showed a highlysignificant pattern in different seasons of the year (p=0.00) in a way that Plasmodium falciparummalaria reached its highest frequency in autumn and winter seasons while Plasmodium vivaxmalaria reached its peak frequency in spring and summer seasons. Conclusion: There was highlysignificant seasonal variation of vivax and falciparum malaria. There is arrival of Plasmodiumfalciparum in autumn which peaks in winter followed by arrival of Plasmodium vivax in spring tillthe end of summer.Keywords: Malaria, Falciparum, Vivax, Peshawar

References

Etard JF, Kodio B, Ronsmans C. Seasonal variation in direct

obstetric mortality in rural Senegal: role of malaria? Am J Trop

Med Hyg 2003;68:503–4.

Murtaza G, Memon IA, Memon AR, Lal MN, Kallar NA.

Malaria morbidity in Sindh and the Plasmodium Species

distribution. Pak J Med Sci 2009;25:646–9.

Khan MA, Smego RA Jr, Razi ST, Beg MA. Emerging drugresistance and guidelines for treatment of malaria. J Coll

Physicians Surg Pak 2004;14:319–24.

Zaman V, Beg A. Laboratory diagnosis of Malaria. Infect Dis J

;13(2):47–8.

Samuel E, Anya. Seasonal variation in the risk and causes of

maternal death in Gambia: Malaria appears to be an important

factor. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2004;70:510–3.

Yasinzai MI, Kakarsulemankhel JK. Frequency of various

human malaria infections in hottest areas of central Balochistan,

Pakistan: Duki, Harnai and Sibi. Pak Armed Forces Med J

;58:276–85.

Zacarias OP, Andersson M. Mapping malaria incidence

distribution that accounts for environmental factors in Maputo

Province–Mozambique. Malar J 2010;9:79.

World Health Organization. Map of malaria endemic countries

[cited on 5th march 2011]. Available from:

www.who.int/endemiccountries.html

World Health Organization. World malaria report 2010. [cited on

th march 2011]. Available from: www.who.int/malaria/worldmalaria-report-2010

Alonso Pl, Brown G, Arevalo-Herrera M, Binka F, Chitnis C,

Collins F, et al. A research agenda to underpin malaria

eradication. PLoS Med 2011;8(1):e1000406

Mermel L. MRSA infection shown to be seasonal. [cited on 10th

April 2011]. Available from: http://www.sciencedaily.com/

releases/2011/03/110324153502.htm

Madhavan KT, Jajoo UN, Bhalia A. Seasonal variations in

incidence of severe and complicated malaria in central India.

Indian J Med Sci 2001;55(1):43–6.

Chaves LF, Koenraadt CJM. Climate change and highland

Malaria: Fresh air for a hot debate. Q Rev Biol 2010;85:27–55.

Basurko C, Hanf M, Han-Sze R, Rogier S, Héritier P, Grenier C.

et al. Influence of climate and river level on the incidence of

malaria in Cacao, French Guiana. Malar J 2011;10:26

Abdel-Muhsin AM, Mackinnon MJ, Ali E, Nassir el-KA,

Suleiman S, Ahmaed S, et al. Evolution of drug resistance genes

in Plasmodium falciparum in an area of seasonal malaria

transmission in Eastern Sudan. J Infect Dis 2004;189:1239–44.

Khatoon L, Baliraine FN, Bonizzoni M, Malik SA, Yan G. Short

report: Prevalance of anti malarial drug resistance mutations in

Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum from a Malaria

endemic area of Pakistan. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2009;81:525–8.

Leslie T, Kaur H, Mohammad N, Kolanczinski K, Ord RL,

Rowland M. Epidemic of Plasmodium falciparum Malaria

involving substandard antimalarial drugs, Pakistan 2003. Emerg

Infect Dis 2009;15:1753–9.

Published

2012-03-01