Clinical Appearance of Malaria and its Epidemiological Burden in Mangalore, India in 2002 to 2022
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Background
Incomplete antimalarial medication and insufficient patient follow-up, particularly among migrant labourers and destitute inpatients, pose significant challenges to malaria treatment and hinder elimination efforts in India. Patients who escape from hospitals during intermittent treatment or fail to receive medication despite tested positive for malaria parasites (MP) contribute to transmission, antimalarial resistance, genetic mutations, recurrent malaria, early treatment failure (ETF) and late treatment failure (LTF).
Methods
A clinical case study was conducted at Wenlock District Government Hospital, Mangalore, India, from 2002 to 2022. Suspected malaria cases were confirmed using symptomatic clinical features and microscopic examination of peripheral blood smears. Clinical parameters were monitored and a second smear was taken on day 7 to assess drug response and treatment efficacy. AI-driven tools analysed 21 years of malaria cases including heatmaps of Plasmodium species correlations, peak malaria incidences by month and year and visualization of year-wise infections, medication status and follow-up rates using Python, Plotly and R Studio.
Findings
Among 317,210 suspected malaria patients 77,995 (24.58%) were microscopy-confirmed cases: Plasmodium vivax (P.v) (72.52%), Plasmodium falciparum (P.f) (24.78%) and mixed infections (2.67%). Out of these, 99.22% received treatment, while 0.77% did not take medication despite tested positive. Follow-up rates on day 7 were low (12.48%), highlighting a significant gap in post-treatment monitor. Hypertension was observed in 39.60% of malaria patients with mixed infections exhibits the highest prevalence 98.32%, followed by P. falciparum 75.54% and P. vivax 25.16%. Notably, mixed infections are associated with severe clinical outcomes. Parasitaemia levels were highest in P. falciparum (1,668,824/µl), followed by mixed infections (78,986/µl) and P. vivax (56,694/µl). Over the study period, P. vivax incidence rose from 53.39% in 2005 to 86.95% in 2022, while P. falciparum infections declined from 45.15% in 2005 to 10.81% in 2016, reflecting advancements in malaria control measures.
Interpretation
Deficient treatment completion and insufficient follow-up significantly hinder malaria control in India. Strengthen patient tracking mechanisms and ensuring medication adherence, especially among vulnerable populations are crucial to reduce malaria recurrence and prevent resistance. The decline trend in P. falciparum infections underscores progress in control efforts, but the rising incidence of P. vivax and mixed infections warrants further investigation and targeted interventions.
