Gray TJ; Trauer JM; Fairley M; Krause, Vicki; Markey, Peter

Author(s)

Gray TJ

Trauer JM

Fairley M

Krause, Vicki

Markey, Peter

Publication Date

2012-03-01

Abstract

Malaria is a notifiable disease in Australia with an average of 600 notifications per year in returned travellers or newly arrived refugees, migrants and visitors. Although endemic disease has been eliminated from the tropical north of Australia, the region remains malaria receptive due to the presence of efficient mosquito vectors. This study analyses enhanced surveillance data collected by the Centre for Disease Control on all cases of malaria notified in the Northern Territory from 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2010. There were 428 malaria episodes notified that occurred in 391 individuals with a median age of 26 years. Of these, 71.4% were male, 40.5% were Australian nationals and 38.0% were prescribed chemoprophylaxis. Primary infection consisted of 196 (51.3%) cases of Plasmodium falciparum, 165 (43.2%) P. vivax, 2 (0.5%) P. ovale, 1 (0.3%) P. malariae and 18 were mixed infections. There were 46 episodes of relapsed infection. Residents of non-malarious countries were most likely to have acquired primary infection in East Timor (40.6%), Papua New Guinea (27.8%), Indonesia (18.7%) and Africa (6.4%). Primary infection was diagnosed after a median 19 days (interquartile range (IQR) 7-69) after arrival in Australia for cases of P. vivax compared with 4 days for P. falciparum (IQR 2-11). Screening protocols led to the diagnosis of 27.2% of cases. Eighty-seven per cent of patients were admitted to hospital at the time of their malaria diagnosis with median duration of 3 days (IQR 2-4) and one patient died. Resettlement of people from endemic countries, as well as military and civilian activities, influences the prevailing notification rates and Plasmodium species type.

Citation

Commun Dis Intell Q Rep . 2012 Mar 31;36(1):107-13.

ISSN

1447-4514

Pubmed ID

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23153087/?otool=iaurydwlib

Link

https://hdl.handle.net/10137/5673

Subject

World Health Organization Malaria| |Epidemiology Plasmodia Malaria| |Diagnosis Australia

MESH subject

Adolescent

Adult

Age Factors

Aged

Aged, 80 and over

Antimalarials

Child

Child, Preschool

Female

Hospitalization

Humans

Infant

Infant, Newborn

Malaria

Male

Middle Aged

Northern Territory

Plasmodium

Population Surveillance

Recurrence

Treatment Outcome

Young Adult

Title

Imported malaria in the Northern Territory, Australia--428 consecutive cases.

Type of document

Journal Article

Entity Type

Publication

Author(s)	Gray TJ Trauer JM Fairley M Krause, Vicki Markey, Peter
Publication Date	2012-03-01
Abstract	Malaria is a notifiable disease in Australia with an average of 600 notifications per year in returned travellers or newly arrived refugees, migrants and visitors. Although endemic disease has been eliminated from the tropical north of Australia, the region remains malaria receptive due to the presence of efficient mosquito vectors. This study analyses enhanced surveillance data collected by the Centre for Disease Control on all cases of malaria notified in the Northern Territory from 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2010. There were 428 malaria episodes notified that occurred in 391 individuals with a median age of 26 years. Of these, 71.4% were male, 40.5% were Australian nationals and 38.0% were prescribed chemoprophylaxis. Primary infection consisted of 196 (51.3%) cases of Plasmodium falciparum, 165 (43.2%) P. vivax, 2 (0.5%) P. ovale, 1 (0.3%) P. malariae and 18 were mixed infections. There were 46 episodes of relapsed infection. Residents of non-malarious countries were most likely to have acquired primary infection in East Timor (40.6%), Papua New Guinea (27.8%), Indonesia (18.7%) and Africa (6.4%). Primary infection was diagnosed after a median 19 days (interquartile range (IQR) 7-69) after arrival in Australia for cases of P. vivax compared with 4 days for P. falciparum (IQR 2-11). Screening protocols led to the diagnosis of 27.2% of cases. Eighty-seven per cent of patients were admitted to hospital at the time of their malaria diagnosis with median duration of 3 days (IQR 2-4) and one patient died. Resettlement of people from endemic countries, as well as military and civilian activities, influences the prevailing notification rates and Plasmodium species type.
Citation	Commun Dis Intell Q Rep . 2012 Mar 31;36(1):107-13.
ISSN	1447-4514
Pubmed ID	https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23153087/?otool=iaurydwlib
Link	https://hdl.handle.net/10137/5673
Subject	World Health Organization Malaria\| \|Epidemiology Plasmodia Malaria\| \|Diagnosis Australia
MESH subject	Adolescent Adult Age Factors Aged Aged, 80 and over Antimalarials Child Child, Preschool Female Hospitalization Humans Infant Infant, Newborn Malaria Male Middle Aged Northern Territory Plasmodium Population Surveillance Recurrence Treatment Outcome Young Adult
Title	Imported malaria in the Northern Territory, Australia--428 consecutive cases.
Type of document	Journal Article
Entity Type	Publication

Imported malaria in the Northern Territory, Australia--428 consecutive cases.

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