Malaria in highlands of Yemen

Abstract EN

Background: It has long been known that malaria in highland areas (>2000m) is hindered by low temperature which limits the development of the parasites in the mosquito3'4.

Objectives: To determine the extent of the disease in the highland areas; to describe the most common complications of malaria; and formulate recommendations .

Patients and methods: All cases of malaria admitted to the infectious diseases unit in the Medical Ward, Al-Gumhori Educational Hospital in Sana'a, from June 2002 to May 2003 and only cases in which the diagnosis was confirmed by a positive blood film were studied, and only those patients who live in highland areas (>2000m) and do not in the lowlands areas (<1500m) were subjected to this descriptive clinical study.

SPSS (windows statistical package) was used for the statistical analysis.

Results:.Eighty-four cases of malaria were..clinically studied;.

(60%) were male and 40% were female, with an average of age 31.09 years.

The majority of the patients referred to the hospital were living in Sana'a governorate (2377m) .

Plasmodium falciparum is more common than other types of Plasmodium.

The history of fever was universally present (89%).

Jaundice (56%) and splenomegaly (34.5%) were the most common physical signs.

Anaemia & thrombocytopenia are also the most complications.

Five patients died from falciparum malaria.

The average hospital stay was 6, 99+ 2, 99 days.

Conclusion: This study reports that cases of clinical malaria have occurred at the high altitude of Yemen particularly Sana'a (2377m), Thamar (2425m) and Al-Mahweet (2300m).

These areas then have been considered malaria risk free .

This study demonstrates that endemic malaria in areas and population at risk are more widespread than previously recognized, and more researches are needed to be done to evaluate the factors that increase the malaria transmission in the highlands of Yemen.

Keywords: malaria, highland, clinical descriptive study.