Evaluation of Malaria Cases Detected in Antalya Province between 2012 and 2017

Malaria is an important infectious disease that is transmitted by female mosquitoes of the genus Anopheles infected with parasites of the genus Plasmodium. In this research, it was aimed to contribute to the ongoing studies on malaria control in Antalya.

In this study, malaria data between 2012-2017 obtained from Antalya Provincial Directorate of Health were used. The patients with malaria were evaluated in terms of the years and months they were detected in, age group, gender, parasite species which were detected and their sources.

During the 6-year period, a total of 1905 blood samples were surveyed and 36 (1.89%) patients were reported. The most patients occurred in June and August (5 patients in each month, 13.89%). Of the patients, 94.44% (34 patients) were 15 years old and over. By gender, 83.33% (n=30) of patients were male, 16.67% (n=6) were female. The disease agent responsible for most of the patients with malaria was P. falciparum (80.55%, 29 patients), followed by P. vivax (11.11%, 4 patients), P. ovale (5.56%, 2 patients) and P. malariae (2.78%, 1 patient). All patients with malaria were from abroad.

For malaria control, studies on the early diagnosis and treatment of the disease and the integrated mosquito control programs should be uninterruptedly maintained.