Autochthonous Malaria: a clinical case

Abstract

Introduction: Malaria, or malaria, is a common parasitic infection in tropical regions of the world, where annually between 300 and 500 million people become infected, resulting in 1.5 to 2.7 million deaths per year. Nowadays, it is considered a serious public health problem due to the conditions that facilitate the reproduction and transmission of the Plasmodium parasite. Objective: The
aim of this manuscript is to present the case of a patient with autochthonous malaria. Clinical Case: A 33-year-old female patient presented with a clinical picture evolving over twelve days, characterized by intense pulsatile frontal headache, associated with myalgias, arthralgias, unquantified fever spikes, chills, diaphoresis, and loss of appetite. Physical examination showed no evidence of alterations. However, laboratory tests revealed leukopenia with moderate thrombocytopenia, and blood
smear examination revealed parasitized red blood cells with Plasmodium spp, which was confirmed by a positive thick blood smear for Plasmodium falciparum (count of 80 trophozoites/μl of blood). Treatment with artemether + lumefantrine and primaquine was administered. After completing the treatment, the patient returned for a follow-up consultation with a negative thick blood smear for hemoparasites, reporting adequate clinical control of the disease. Conclusions: Autochthonous malaria
is defined as a case occurring in areas without previous transmission, where residents who have had contact with the case and present symptoms should be evaluated, as well as studying possible  vectors.