Malaria in Tunisia: About 432 cases diagnosed in the Rabta Hospital of Tunis (1991-2012)

Abstract

Malaria is a blood parasitic disease eradicated in Tunisia since 1979. Since then, only imported and some post-transfusion cases have been reported. The aim of this study was to evaluate the epidemiological profile of cases of malaria recorded in the Rabta hospital between 1991 and 2012. This study concerned 432 cases of malaria: 430 patients from or who stayed in endemic areas (171 asymptomatic non-permanent resident students in Tunisia and 259 symptomatic patients) and two cases of post-transfusion malaria in two Tunisians who have never traveled to endemic areas. Of the 430 cases of imported malaria, the majority was from or had visited Sub-saharan Africa (95.6% of cases). The incidence of imported malaria has steadily increased from 9 cases in 1991 to 38 cases in 2012 with an average of 19 cases per year. At the clinical level, Fever was the most common clinical sign found (73.56% of symptomatic subjects). The pernicious access was diagnosed in two Tunisian patients after a living in Cameroon. Plasmodium falciparum was the most identified species (65.81%). Concerning the two cases of post-transfusion malaria, Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium malariae were the two species identified respectively in the first and second cases. The study of imported malaria may be reducing the potential risk of reintroduction of this parasitosis in Tunisia. Systematic monitoring of risk blood donors is the best way to avoid posttransfusion in Tunisia.