[Imported malaria: clinical and epidemiological review of an emerging disease]

To describe the epidemiology, clinical and laboratory features and outcome of children younger than 15 years with malaria in our hospital.

A retrospective case review of all children admitted to our hospital with malaria between 1997 and 2005 was performed. The following epidemiological data were analyzed: age, sex, nationality of the child and of the family, country and date of trip, chemoprophylaxis used, clinical features, laboratory parameters (hemogram and biochemistry), type of plasmodium and degree of parasitization, treatment, associated diseases, length of hospital stay, and outcome.

A total of 24 children (16 boys) were diagnosed (median age, 6.5 years). All of the patients were immigrants or were the children of sub-Saharian immigrants. Thirteen patients had traveled to a malaria-endemic country during the summer holidays. Eleven children started chemoprophylaxis, but only two completed the whole course. The most common symptoms were fever (21 patients) and gastrointestinal symptoms (16 patients). Nineteen patients had anemia and six had thrombocytopenia. The most common species identified was Plasmodium falciparum (19 patients). After treatment, outcome was satisfactory in 21 patients. One patient had recurrence at 3 months, another showed sequelae, and one died after 30 days.

Most children with imported malaria in our area were immigrants or the children of immigrants. Although treatment response is usually satisfactory, rapid diagnosis of this disease in the emergency room of any hospital capable of treating these patients is required.