Severe imported Plasmodium falciparum malaria, France, 1996-2003.

Abstract

Little is known about severe imported Plasmodium falciparum malaria in industrialized countries where the disease is not endemic because most studies have been case reports or have included <200 patients. To identify factors independently associated with the severity of P. falciparum, we conducted a retrospective study using surveillance data obtained from 21,888 P. falciparum patients in France during 1996-2003; 832 were classified as having severe malaria. The global case-fatality rate was 0.4% and the rate of severe malaria was ≈3.8%. Factors independently associated with severe imported P. falciparum malaria were older age, European origin, travel to eastern Africa, absence of chemoprophylaxis, initial visit to a general practitioner, time to diagnosis of 4 to 12 days, and diagnosis during the fall-winter season. Pretravel advice should take into account these factors and promote the use of antimalarial chemoprophylaxis for every traveler, with a particular focus on nonimmune travelers and elderly persons.

• Authors: Elise Seringe, Marc Thellier, Arnaud Fontanet, Fabrice Legros, Olivier Bouchaud, Thierry Ancelle, Eric Kendjo, Sandrine Houze, Jacques Le Bras, Martin Danis, Rémy Durand, French National Reference Center for Imported Malaria Study Group
• Journal: Emerging infectious diseases (Emerg Infect Dis) Vol. 17 Issue 5 Pg. 807-13 (May 2011) ISSN: 1080-6059 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 21529388 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Topics

• Adolescent
• Adult
• Aged
• Aged, 80 and over
• Child
• Child, Preschool
• Female
• France (epidemiology)
• Humans
• Infant
• Infant, Newborn
• Malaria, Falciparum (epidemiology)
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Population Surveillance
• Retrospective Studies
• Risk Factors
• Travel
• Young Adult