[The awareness of malaria in primary care medicine]

Malaria is still one of the most prevalent infectious diseases worldwide. It is the most common specific cause of fever in returning travelers. Western countries, Israel amongst them, are no longer endemic for the disease. Nonetheless, morbidity is increasing due to the importation of malaria by travelers to endemic regions.

In this study the authors observed the diagnostic process that 22 malaria patients underwent prior to their hospitalization at the Sheba Medical Center.

The results of the study were disturbing and showed underdiagnosis of malaria at a rate of 78% by primary care physicians and 28% by physicians in the emergency rooms. These rates are comparable to reports from other western countries and may be the result of a variety of reasons. The major reasons are the non-specific presentation of the disease, lack of awareness of the possibility of malaria and misinterpretation of laboratory results.