Malaria in Turkey: A comprehensive analysis of diagnosis, treatment, and the impact of COVID-19, ten years after malaria elimination (2012-2023)
Küçük Resim Yok
Tarih
2025
Dergi Başlığı
Dergi ISSN
Cilt Başlığı
Yayıncı
Elsevier Inc.
Erişim Hakkı
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
Özet
Background: The characteristics, diagnosis, and treatment stages of malaria in Turkey in the last
ten years are not known except few case reports. We aimed to describe the details of the
diagnosis and treatment practices of malaria cases in various hospitals across Turkey between
2012 and 2023 after the declaration of the elimination of malaria.
Methods: We collected the patient data from 30 centers by using Qualtrics Survey Software. The
patients were categorized according to the WHO Malaria Severe Disease Symptoms guidelines.
Results: We detected 299 malaria cases. Of these patients, 23.7% experienced misdiagnosis,
with 77.5% of misdiagnosed cases receiving antibiotics. Among the patients, 9 (3%) had no
travel history. Additionally, 28 (9.4%) patients required admission to the intensive care unit
(ICU) during hospitalization. There is a significant association between misdiagnosis and
subsequent ICU admissions. Additionally, the duration between malaria diagnosis and the
initiation of treatment significantly affected ICU admissions. Furthermore, the number of cases
with severe malaria (according to WHO criteria) and ICU admissions increased after the
COVID-19 period. In multivariate analysis, initial misdiagnosis was found to be associated with
ICU admission (OR: 2.8, p < 0.05), while each day's treatment delays post-diagnosis increased
ICU admissions (OR: 1.26, p < 0.05).
Conclusion: Misdiagnosis is common which delays the treatment and is correlated with higher
admissions to ICUs. Post-COVID-19, there was a notable increase in both ICU admissions and
cases of severe malaria, suggesting an escalation in disease severity that warrants further
investigation. The resurgence of rare malaria cases with no travel history to abroad highlights the
necessity of continued vigilance for new malaria cases. Efforts to promptly treat upon diagnosis
and improve diagnostic accuracy in Turkey, where malaria is uncommon, are crucial. Enhancing
diagnostic methods and treatment strategies remains essential, especially in significant events
like COVID-19.
Açıklama
Anahtar Kelimeler
Kaynak
Travel Med Infect Dis
WoS Q Değeri
Scopus Q Değeri
Cilt
64
Sayı
1
Künye
Şahin, Ö. E., Kalay, Z., Sarı, N. D., Batırel, A., Ersöz, G., Ertem, G. T., Turunç, T., Gözüküçük, R., Çelener, F. Ş., Kantürk, A., Süer, K., Balın, Ş. Ö., Tartar, A. S., Çelebi, G., Kuşoğlu, H., Ateş, S., Alkan, S., Özatağ, D. M., Berk, H., Uzun, C., … Ergönül, Ö. (2025). Malaria in Turkey: A comprehensive analysis of diagnosis, treatment, and the impact of COVID-19, ten years after malaria elimination (2012-2023). Travel medicine and infectious disease, 64, 102819. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmaid.2025.102819
