Study of Malaria Disease In Northern Darfur Area

Abstract

Malaria is an acute systemic illness caused by infection with Plasmodium, all of which are transmitted to humans by female Anopheles species mosquitoes. The majority of the infections and deaths are caused by P.falciparum infection of children. In fact, P. falciparum is responsible for more deaths in children less than 5 years of age than any other single infectious agent. Our study had been carried out in El Fasher town the capital of the northern state of Darfur.The main causative agent in our area of study was Plasmodium falciparum (85% to 95%). Malaria transmission parameters vary according to the vectors, water sources and populations present in each specific location. Predominant malaria vector in Darfur was Anopheles arabiensis. The humidity increases towards the Western and Southern areas of the region. The timing of the rain season in the Darfur region begins in May, peaks in July-August and finishes in October. Darfur population travels from areas of low transmission to an area of higher transmission due to their crisis will be most susceptible to severe malaria due to their low immunity. The current study had started from the 2day of May till the end of August 2009. The aim of this work was to study malaria disease among people presented to outpatient clinic of the Egyptian ministry of defense and El Fasher educational hospital. All patients had been subjected to full medical history taking including age, clinical evaluation for fever, complete clinical examination and evaluation for severe clinical malaria manifestations, all patients had been subjected to following laboratory procedures: blood film, paracheck, complete blood count, liver biochemical profileand kidney profile. All patients were admitted to the hospital to receive treatment according to the protocol of treatment which was approved by Ministry of Health in Sudan. The results showed that 63% of patients were male, all patients (100%) had a fever as presenting symptom, the majority of patients experience sweating (100%), rigors and chills (71%), myalgia, headache and fatigue (86%), the patients with dark color of urine (15%) had disturbed liver profile.Patients with loss of appetite were 11%, nine of them were less than 5 years; it represent about 23% of patients less of 5 years old, The results showed that fourteen patients (14%) had taken preventive antimalarial drugs.