Malaria Trigram: improving the visualization of recurrence data for malaria elimination

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Infectious Disease Epidemiology
• Health Informatics

Background:

• Malaria incidence has decreased in Brazil, but Plasmodium vivax cases, characterized by recurrences from hypnozoites, are increasing.
• Innovative surveillance strategies are crucial for malaria elimination, particularly for P. vivax.
• The Brazilian Amazon faces challenges in tracking and managing recurrent malaria cases.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an infographic visualization tool for enhanced individual-level malaria surveillance.
• To support malaria elimination strategies in the Brazilian Amazon.
• To improve the analysis of malaria case recurrences.

Main Methods:

• Action Research methodology was used over four iterative cycles.
• A probabilistic data linkage was performed to consolidate patient information.
• An operational version of the Malaria Trigram tool was formally validated.

Main Results:

• An interactive infographic user interface, the Malaria Trigram, was developed.
• The tool provides a multidimensional historical representation of malaria cases per patient.
• It offers visual insights for decision-makers regarding malaria recurrences.

Conclusions:

• The Malaria Trigram assists public health professionals in analyzing malaria event patterns, including recurrences and reinfections.
• It integrates with the existing SIVEP-Malária system without requiring new data collection.
• The tool facilitates planning and coordinating malaria elimination interventions in the Brazilian Amazon.