Imported Malaria at the Ibn Sina University Hospital in Rabat: A Retrospective Study of 81 Cases

Abstract

Background In parallel with the eradication of indigenous malaria since 2005 and the certification of Morocco as a malaria-free country by the World Health Organization in 2010, imported malaria cases are still being notified in Morocco. This study aims to describe the epidemiological profile and characterize the demographic, clinical, and biological profile of imported malaria cases diagnosed at the Central Laboratory of Parasitology-Mycology of the Ibn Sina University Hospital in Rabat, Morocco. Methodology This retrospective study analyzed 81 cases of imported malaria at Ibn Sina University Hospital's Central Laboratory of Parasitology-Mycology in Rabat, Morocco from January 2015 to December 2023. Patients meeting the inclusion criteria had contracted malaria in endemic regions, confirmed through parasitological evidence on blood smears. Results Among the 81 positive cases, 55 (63%) were male, resulting in a male-to-female ratio of approximately 3:1. The imported cases came from 15 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, mainly from Ivory Coast (31 patients, 31%) and Guinea (16 patients, 16%). The main clinical sign was fever (79 patients, 97.53%). The majority of patients (70 patients, 86%) suffered from anemia, while thrombocytopenia was present in 76% of patients (62 patients). Plasmodium falciparum was the most common species found in 77 (95%) cases and Plasmodium ovale in two (2.5%) cases. However, Plasmodium vivax was isolated in only one (1.23%) case. Only one case of co-infection by P. falciparum and Plasmodium malariae (1.23%) was found. Parasitemia values due to P. falciparum were between 0.1% and 30%. On the other hand, those of other species did not exceed 2%. Conclusions In summary, among 81 imported malaria cases, 55 (63%) were men, imported mainly from 15 sub-Saharan African countries. P. falciparum was the predominant species. Fever was the most common clinical sign, accompanied by high rates of anemia and thrombocytopenia.

Keywords: diagnosis; imported malaria; morocco; plasmodium falciparum; thrombocytopenia.

Figure 1. Number of cases of imported malaria declared at the Rabat University Hospital during the period 2015-2023.

Figure 2. Geographical distribution of imported malaria cases.

Figure 3. Distribution of cases according to the presence or absence of anemia.

A: The percentage of cases. B: The distribution of anemic cases by sex.