Clinical epidemiological evaluation of falciparum malaria cases assisted in a research center in the Amazon

Malaria is an acute, non-contagious febrile parasitic disease that affects millions of people in tropical and subtropical areas of the world. In Brazil, the disease can be caused by three species of Plasmodium sp: P. vivax, P. falciparum and P. malariae, with 86% of cases of the disease in Brazil determined by P. vivax (OLIVEIRA-FERREIRA et al, 2010) . Malaria has a spectral behavior, depending on the patient’s immunity conditions and the parasitic species; is endemic in the Amazon region, due to favorable geographical conditions, mighty rivers, temperature, humidity, rainfall and forest areas, and the models of economic activities present, openings of work fronts in hydroelectric plants, mineral extraction and agriculture. These conditions favor the transmission of the disease in the region. According to data from the latest report on malaria by the World Health Organization, in 2018 there were 228 million cases of malaria worldwide (95% CI: 206-258 million), compared to 2017 when there were 231 million cases of the disease (95% CI: 211-259 million) (WHO, 2019). In 2018, the estimate for America was approximately 929,000 cases, with 577 deaths (a 22% decrease from the previous year). In Brazil, after an increase in 2017, the situation of the previous decade returned with a reduction in the number of cases, with a total of 194,271 cases of the disease (reduction of about 1%), it is also known that the Brazilian Amazon region was responsible for reporting 193,534 cases in 2018 (an increase of 11% compared to the previous year). In addition, Pará was the first State in number of cases, totaling 45,705, an increase of 37% compared to 2017 (OPS/WHO, 2019). In this sense, Plasmodium vivax causes the most prevalent malaria, however Plasmodium falciparum is responsible for the severe forms of the disease, understood by its pathophysiological mechanisms represented by cytoadherence, and the important participation of the immune system with the production of cytokines. 

Project details

Epidemiology

Jan 2020

Brazil