ABSTRACT
ObjectiveTo describe the differences in imported malaria cases before and after the COVID-19 pandemic in Pudong New Area， Shanghai， to explore the possible impact of isolation measures during the pandemic on malaria， and to provide a basis for formulation of malaria control strategies during the prevention and control of major infectious diseases in the future. MethodsInformation on malaria cases reported in Pudong New Area from 2017 to 2022 was collected and divided into two groups： cases before the COVID-19 pandemic （2017‒2019） and cases after the COVID-19 pandemic （2020‒2022）. Analysis was conducted on information such as gender， age， parasite species， country of infection， place of onset， time of onset， time of first diagnosis， time of confirmed diagnosis， hospitalization， and duration of treatment for both groups. ResultsThe pre-COVID group consisted of 21 cases， and post-COVID group consisted of 28 cases， with male and falciparum malaria predominating in both groups. There were statistically significant differences between the two groups in terms of Shanghai residency status， use of preventive measures， and adherence to standardized treatment （P<0.05）. The time interval from symptom onset to first diagnosis was longer in the pre-COVID group than that in the post-COVID group （Z=-2.617， P<0.05 ）. The interval from the first diagnosis to the confirmed diagnosis and duration of treatment were shorter in the pre-COVID group than that in the post-COVID group （Z=-3.381， P<0.05； Z=-4.148， P<0.05）. There was no significant difference in gender， age， malaria classification， source of infection， onset area， length of hospital stay， complications， severe cases， and interval between onset and diagnosis between the two groups （P>0.05）. ConclusionAfter the outbreak of COVID-19， the medical priority plan prolongs the treatment time of malaria patients， increasing the risk of severe illness and death.