Clinico-epidemiological profile of patients with febrile illness attending malaria clinic at medical college hospital of Surat, Gujarat, India

Abstract

Background: Febrile illnesses are pre-eminent contributors to morbidity and mortality. As one of the common cause, malaria is a potentially life threatening parasitic disease. Passive surveillance of malaria is carried out by primary health centers, malaria clinics, community health centers and other secondary and tertiary level health institutions that patients visit for treatment. Early diagnosis and complete treatment is one of the key strategies of national vector borne disease control programme. Aims & Objective: A study was undertaken to study the clinico-epidemiological and laboratory profile of the fever cases. Materials and Methods: It is a descriptive, cross-sectional hospital based study conducted at malaria clinic at medical college hospital of Surat, Gujarat, India. Results: The most common symptom as reported by the patients was fever with rigor (32.37%). Proportion of body ache, cough, headache and fever constituted 17.40%, 13.95%, 11.81% and 11.35% symptoms as reported by the study population. Analysis of the result of PS for MP reveals that large number of the patients (84.0%) did not show malaria parasite in their blood smear. Out of positive slides, 84 % were Plasmodium vivax whereas less than 16 % P. falciparum. Conclusion: Malaria clinic functioning at New civil hospital, Surat can act as one of the important surveillance center for malaria in Surat city as well as in South Gujarat. Relationship of different symptoms with peripheral blood smears positive for malaria is not found.