Epidemiology of malaria in the Amazon
basin of Ecuador
Pan American Journal of Public Health,
Volume 7, Issue 1,
San Sebastián, M; Játiva,
R; Goicolea, I
Summary of
Points:
·
Malaria
is reemerging in most endemic countries of
·
Three
organizations are involved in malaria-related work in the area, but they are
not coordinating their efforts. This study was designed to describe the
epidemiology of malaria incidence in the Lower-Napo region
for the period of January 1992 through December 1995, and to determine the
extent of seasonality in transmission in the area.
·
To
determine malaria incidence, data were collected for that 4-year period from
the records of the three malaria-related organizations: the office of the
·
During
the 1992-1995 period, NCME diagnosed a total of 773
malaria cases, DHNR diagnosed 485, and Sandi Yura
clinically diagnosed 859. For the 4-year period, an annual parasite index of
40.4 was found with the DHNR data, 35.8 with the Sandi Yura
data, and 6.2 with the NCME data. The predominant parasite in the area was
Plasmodium vivax (92% of all the cases).
·
Twenty-eight
percent of the infected persons were under 10 years old. No discernible
differences between the genders were found. There was also no seasonal
variation among the cases.
·
Further
research is needed in order to confirm these findings and better understand
malaria transmission in the region. The study highlights the need for a closer
coordination among the area's malaria-control organizations so as to have an
improved understanding of malaria epidemiology and to design and implement
effective control strategies. [Journal Article; In English; United States]