Study on prevalence of malaria in patients referring to central laboratory in Jiroft city in southern Iran, 2002-2019

Introduction and Objectives: Malaria is a serious and sometimes life-threatening infectious disease caused by a single-celled protozoan parasite Plasmodium species. These parasites are transmitted from human to human through the bite of female adult Anopheles mosquitoes. Four Plasmodium (P) species including: P. falciparum, P. vivax, P. malariae and P. ovale are known to infect human. Malaria is usually characterized by several signs and symptoms including: Fever, Chills, Headache, Nausea, vomiting. Muscle pain and fatigue. This disease is a major public health problem in the tropical and subtropical regions. The incidence of this disease is around 270 million per year worldwide. Hot and wet weather conditions favour their Hot and humid weather can make conditions favorable for development and trigger outbreaks of the diseases. Jiroft city has a warm and humid climate. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of malaria in Jiroft city in southern Iran. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, referrers from from 2002 to 2019 were studied. Samples were collected from capillary blood. Blood smear was done to detect and diagnose malaria disease. Results: About 23712 patients were participated in this study. Plasmodium species were found in 979 patients. All positive cases were seen in foreign nationals. All disease caused by P. vivax. The most positive cases (215 patients) were seen in 2003. In 2012 no patient was found. The number of positive cases has slowed down between 2002 and 2019. Conclusion: The present study has shown that prevalence of malaria in Jiroft city has declined dramatically in recent years. In this area, Malaria is not a serious threat today

Keywords:

Jiroft , Plasmodium , Malaria