Increased prevalence of Plasmodium falciparum malaria in Honduras, Central America

Bibliographic Data

ID14965876
AuthorsCarol Palmer (0000-0003-4612-5426, corresponding author), Carol J Palmer, Michael Makler, Michael T Makler, Winslow I Klaskala, Winslow Klaskala (University of Miami), John Lindo (0000-0002-2533-8505, University of the West Indies System), John F Lindo, Marianna K Baum (0000-0002-6577-685X, University of Miami), Arba L Ager (University of Miami)
Year1998
Volume4
Issue1
Pages40-42
Publication date1998-07-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueRevista Panamericana de Salud Pública (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1020-4989 • E-ISSN: 1680-5348
PublisherFapUNIFESP (SciELO) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1590/s1020-49891998000700007
PMID9734227
OpenAlexW2097381543
SciELOS1020-49891998000700007
LanguageEN
Citations received1

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

Chills · Malaria · Outbreak · Plasmodium falciparum · Plasmodium vivax · Malaria Research and Control · Medicine · Mosquito-borne diseases and control · Vector-borne infectious diseases · Immunology · Internal Medicine · Virology

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