Epidemiological trends of malaria in the Western regions of Saudi Arabia: a cross sectional study

Abstract

Introduction: Saudi Arabia has successfully reduced malaria cases to be constrained largely in the western regions. This study aimed to determine the epidemiological trends of malaria infection in five western regions of Saudi Arabia.
 Methodology: A retrospective analysis was conducted to investigate the epidemiological trends of malaria infection in the western regions, based on the published registry of the Saudi Ministry of Health, during the period from 2014 to 2017 using the appropriate statistical tools.
 Results: A total of 8925 confirmed cases of malaria were reported in the western regions during the period from 2014 to 2017 with the mean of 2231 malaria cases per year. The minimum (n = 1097) and maximum (n = 4075) number of cases were reported in 2014 and 2016 respectively. The highest (n = 5919, 66.3%) number of cases were reported from Jazan region, while lowest (n = 86, 1.0%) number of cases were reported from Al-Bahah region. Plasmodium falciparum was the most frequently reported species with 7485 (83.9%) cases, while Plasmodium vivax accounted 1386 (15.5%) cases. Plasmodium malariae and mixed infections were insignificant and accounted 0.5% (n = 48) and 0.1% (n = 6) cases respectively. In relation to malaria infection and age group, malaria was predominant in > 15 age group. The highest number of malaria cases in almost all years was observed from January until March and the lowest number was reported from May until July.
 Conclusions: Plasmodium falciparum was the most dominant species in this survey and Jazan was the most affected region.

Prevalence of Plasmodium species in Badr Governorate, Madinah Province, Saudi Arabia using microscopy and rapid diagnostic test

“…[3] The majority of malaria cases that were diagnosed in the current study due to infection with P vivax infection, followed by those caused by P falciparum. These findings have also been reported previously in Saudi Arabia [23] as well as India, [28] China. [29] In contrary, the previous reports documented P falciparum as the main causative agent of malaria in Saudi Arabia.…”

“…The present study identified 34 (6.89%) malaria cases among clinically suspected cases in Badr Governorate, Madinah Province, Saudi Arabia recruited from January 2021 through January 2022. In support, Amer et al, [ 23 ] have reported that Jazan has the highest frequent rate of malaria infection (66.3%) whereas Madinah (16.6%), Makkah (8.7%), Asir (7.4%) and Al-Bahah (1.0%) region, reflecting its endemicity with malaria in the Western regions of Saudi Arabia.…”

“…In spite of a progress toward malaria elimination in Saudi Arabia has been investigated by several researchers [ 14 , 17 ] a residue remains in some regions of Saudi Arabia such as Qassim [ 7 ] and Western regions of Saudi Arabia. [ 5 , 10 , 12 , 14 , 17 , 22 , 23 ] The elimination of malaria in Saudi Arabia requires high-quality surveillance data to quickly detect and respond to individual cases. However, there is a scarcity of information about the frequency and distribution of malaria cases in Badr Governorate, Southwest Madinah Province, Saudi Arabia.Therefore, this study aims to fill this gap in knowledge and to elucidate the situation regarding the level of residual malaria endemicity in this region to assist in malaria prevention efforts in addition to highlight the prevalence of Plasmodium species in Badr Governorate using microscopy and RDT among suspected malaria patients between January 2021 and January 2022.…”

Lack of Zika Virus and Other Recognized Flaviviruses among the Mosquito Vectors during and Post the Hajj Mass Gathering

“…Mosquito-borne diseases are a significant health issue in KSA and several of these diseases have been documented in the country, including dengue fever, malaria, Rift Valley fever, and chikungunya [ 7 , 18 , 19 , 20 ]. In addition, WNV and Sindbis virus were isolated from mosquitoes in the country, demonstrating the potential for transmission [ 21 , 22 ].…”

Case Report: Case report: Mixed infection of Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum in a tertiary hospital

“…Several studies conducted worldwide and in KSA report that malaria mixed infections are not uncommon [5][6][7][8] . The majority of malaria studies in KSA were studies conducted in the Southwest area and included cases of mixed P.falciparum and P.vivax infections [9][10][11] .…”