Assuring the Standard and Current Malaria Situation in India

Abstract

A study was conducted to determine the prevalence of Plasmodium infections in malaria suspected patients attending community health centre, Manipur (Jiribam) N.E India. A total of 127 blood samples were examined for human malaria parasites by using microscopy and rapid malaria test strip. Laboratory diagnosis revealed that out of 127 samples, 67 were positive for Plasmodium falciparum/ P. vivax/ showing an overall prevalence of 52.75%. Of the 67 positive samples, 13 (10.2%) were P. vivax positive, 33 (25.9%) were P. falciparum positive and 21 (16.5%) were positive for both P. falciparum and P. vivax exhibiting P. falciparum mono-infection significantly higher in this region of Manipur followed by P. falciparum + P. vivax (mixed) infection and P. vivax mono-infection (p= 0.11). With the findings of high prevalence of P. falciparum and P. vivax, during the study period, there is an urgent need of molecular epidemiological studies on antimalarial drug resistance pattern, pathophysiology of severe and compli-cated malaria with special reference to P. falciparum and P. vivax strain variations along with the socio-demographic profile of the malaria infected patients of the areas near future. It is also further recommended that surveillance be strengthened to contain further extension of malaria in north-eastern India.