ABSTRACT
To assess the possibility of developing a protocol for the clinical diagnosis of malaria, a study was done at the regional laboratory of the Anti-Malaria Campaign in Puttalam, Sri Lanka. Of a group of 502 patients, who suspected they were suffering from malaria, 97 had a positive blood film for malaria parasites (71 Plasmodium vivax and 26 P. falciparum). There were no important differences in signs and symptoms between those with positive and those with negative blood films. It is argued that it is unlikely that health workers can improve on the diagnosis of malaria made by the patients themselves, if laboratory facilities are not available. For Sri Lanka the best option is to expand the number of facilities where microscopic examination for malaria parasites can take place.
Subject(s)
Adolescent , Adult , Age Factors , Aged , Animals , Case-Control Studies , Child , Child, Preschool , Diagnosis, Differential , Female , Humans , Infant , Malaria, Falciparum/diagnosis , Malaria, Vivax/diagnosis , Male , Middle Aged , Multivariate Analysis , Odds Ratio , Parasitemia/diagnosis , Plasmodium falciparum/isolation & purification , Plasmodium vivax/isolation & purification , Prevalence , Regional Health Planning , Sri Lanka/epidemiologyABSTRACT
To provide early diagnosis and prompt treatment for malaria, two interventions were compared in refugee camps in Kalpitiya, Sri Lanka. Community health volunteers (HV's) were trained in diagnosis and management of malaria on clinical grounds, while a field laboratory was established in another group of camps providing treatment after laboratory confirmation of a malarial infection. Patients with fever sought treatment from HV's on average after 2.74 days and from the field laboratory after 3.20 days. Although acceptance of both interventions was high, the effective catchment areas, especially of the HV's were small. Large numbers of health volunteers would be needed to cover all families, making it difficult to sustain supervision and necessary logistic support. For every malaria patient treated by HV's, three others would receive anti-malarial drugs unnecessarily. The maintenance of a field laboratory with a microscopist of the Anti-Malaria Campaign is not an economically viable option. Training of HV's in microscopy with a mechanism for cost recovery should be given serious consideration. HV's and diagnosis and treatment centers should be able to handle a wide spectrum of common diseases. A better option for Sri Lanka in the short term might be to improve existing general health facilities that are accessible to the refugee population.