Mandarin Dolma
The Spring Festival is approaching, and the number of returnees has increased significantly, and imported malaria has also occurred from time to time. Recently, disease control departments in many places have reported the identification of malaria cases.
How to identify malaria, how to prevent it, and what should I pay attention to when planning to go abroad and return to China in the near future?
Recently, disease control departments in many places have reported the identification of malaria cases.
According to Huizhou CDC on January 24, on January 19, the Huizhou CDC identified 1 case of imported malaria, and the case was determined to be falciparum malaria after microscopic examination.
On January 18, Shandong Yantai CDC identified a rare case of malaria, which was determined to be a co-infection of falciparum malaria and Plasmodium ovale through microscopic examination and fluorescence quantitative PCR.
On January 19, Xuzhou CDC in Jiangsu Province issued an urgent reminder: Please be vigilant and beware of imported malaria.
Malaria is an acute febrile disease transmitted by the Plasmodium parasite in the human body through the bite of the female Anopheles mosquito.
There are four main types of malaria: vivax, falciparum malaria, malaria ovale, and malaria malaria. Due to the cross-border movement of people, China has a certain number of imported cases of malaria every year, and severe cases and deaths occur from time to time. An acute episode of severe malaria can cause coma, impaired consciousness, and multisystem failure, leading to death.
Prevention of malaria mainly includes mosquito bite prevention (such as the use of mosquito nets, mosquito repellents, mosquito repellent coils, etc.), drug prevention (intervention with antimalarial drugs) and timely diagnosis and isolation of infected people**.
There are three main inspection methods:
1. Blood routine:Red blood cells and hemoglobin drop after multiple episodes, especially falciparum malaria; The total number of leukocytes may increase slightly at first, then normal or slightly low, and the leukocyte differential monocyte is often increased, and phagocytosis of malaria pigment granules may be seen.
2. Malaria parasite examination:A blood smear (thin or thick) is stained for Plasmodium. and can identify malaria parasite species.
3. Immunological examination:It is simple and fast, has a wide range of applications, and has a certain rate of missed detection, and is generally used for epidemiological examination.
If you have been to a malaria-endemic area and have chills, fever, headache and other symptoms within one month of returning, and are suspected of being infected with malaria, it is recommended to go to the hospital as soon as possible and inform the medical staff of your contact history in the epidemic area, so that the medical staff can check and confirm malaria and diagnose it as soon as possible.
Malaria-endemic areas are mainly distributed in Africa, Southeast Asia, the Eastern Mediterranean, and the Americas, among which malaria is highly prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia.
Cases of malaria have been reported in popular tourist countries such as Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Brazil, and Myanmar.
In the World Health Organization's 2022 malaria report, about 2 cases of malaria were reported in 84 malaria-endemic countries in 20214.7 billion cases, of which 6190,000 deaths from malaria; The majority of cases and deaths occurred in the African Region, followed by the South-East Asia Region.
Before leaving the country, you should learn about the malaria epidemic situation in the destination country, learn about malaria prevention and control, and consult the local customs or international travel health care center for the use of preventive drugs.
During overseas travel, try to avoid going outdoors from dusk to dawn of the next day (peak mosquito activity) in malaria-endemic countries or regions; Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants during outdoor activities at night, and apply insect repellents to prevent bites on exposed areas; Use mosquito nets, mosquito coils and other anti-mosquito measures when sleeping; Once symptoms such as chills, fever, and diarrhea appear, you should seek medical attention in time to prevent the condition from worsening.
When returning to China, if you have fever, diarrhea and other symptoms, you should truthfully declare your health status and travel and residence history in malaria-endemic areas to the customs, and cooperate with the investigation of infectious diseases.
After returning to China, returnees who have traveled to malaria-endemic countries or regions for a short period of time should go to a hospital at or above the county level for treatment in a timely manner if they develop symptoms such as fever and diarrhea within one month after entering the country, and inform the doctor of their travel and residence history in malaria-endemic areas or countries, so as to be early detection, early diagnosis and early **, so as to avoid life-threatening situations.
Returnees who have not traveled to malaria-endemic countries or regions for a short period of time are advised to go to a medical institution for malaria parasite testing in time after entering the country. If fever symptoms appear within 2 years after entering the country, you should go to a hospital at or above the county level in a timely manner, and inform the doctor of your travel history to a country or region where malaria is endemic.
It is compiled from Huizhou CDC, Xuzhou CDC, Yantai CDC, Beijing CDC, Health Times, Qingyuan Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, etc.
*: The country is a through train.
Editor: Gao Yanjiao.
Editor-in-charge: Wei Xi.