[Epidemiological study of the malaria at the neonatal period in the teaching hospital of Yopougon--Republic of Cote d'Ivoire]

Abstract

Purpose: Malaria is rare at the newborn child's, even in zone of endemic disease, so that its research is not systematic at this age. Our study aims to describe the profile of the malaria during the neonatal period.

Patients and methods: The retrospective and descriptive study, concerned the files of the newborn children hospitalized from 2005/02/01 till 2006/03/31, in the department of Neonatology at the teaching hospital of Yopougon in Abidjan û Côte d'Ivoire. The criteria of inclusion were fever, associated or not with other symptoms and positive thick drop and or blood smear. The criterion of exclusion was the positivity of the biological explorations for infection. The studied parameters took into account epidemiology, symptomatology, biology and therapeutics.

Results: Prevalence of neonatal malaria was 0.98 per cent (6/615) according to our study. Except the fever which was a criterion of inclusion, the paleness was the dominant symptom. Four of our patients had a history of blood transfusion and 3 among these had a postnatal severe malaria, with highest parasitemia and lowest rates of haemoglobin. Quinine was the most used treatment.

Conclusion: It is important in zone of endemic malaria disease, to make at the newborn child's, often and easily, thick drop and blood smear, especially when there is a history of blood transfusion.