Congenital malaria: Frequency and epidemiology in Colombia, 2009-2020

Congenital Malaria (CM) is an underestimated and under-researched problem in Colombia, despite its severe clinical, epidemiological, economic, and public health consequences. The objective was to determine the general frequency of CM, the specific frequency of CM by diagnostic test and plasmodial species, and identify its associated factors. A retrospective study was carried out using the records of 567 newborns. qPCR and Thick Blood Smear (TBS) were performed. The frequency of infection was determined with a 95% confidence interval. Associated factors were identified by non-parametric tests and odds ratios; the confusion was controlled with a logistic regression model. All cases corresponded to submicroscopic CM (negative with TBS and positive with PCR), and the frequency was 12.2% (95%CI = 9.4-14.9). The detection was statistically higher in the umbilical cord with 16,2% (95%CI = 12.4-19.9) versus peripheral blood of the newborn with 2.2% (95%CI = 0.7-4.9). CM was statistically higher in newborn whose mothers had malaria in the last year, gestational and placental malaria. The median birth weight in newborn infected with CM was lower compared to the one of healthy neonates. Because the control program in Colombia is based on TBS, it must be improved with the inclusion of other tests that allow the detection of submicroscopic CM. In addition, the program has other limitations such as do not have specific actions for pregnant women and have a passive surveillance system. These difficulties do not allow to show the magnitude of CM, its consequences on neonatal and infant health, constituting a serious problem of health injustice.