Mode of Presentation and Susceptibility to Treatment of Malaria in Children at Thal, a Remote Area of KP, Pakistan

Objective: To determine the mode of presentation and susceptibility to treatment of malaria in children at Thal, a remote area of KP, Pakistan. Study Design: A descriptive study. Place and Duration: The study was carried out at Combined Military Hospital (CMH) Thal from Sep 2008 to Aug 2009. Materials and Methods: A total of 202 children suffering from malaria (diagnosis confirmed by positive slide examination for malarial parasites by qualified hematologist) selected by consecutive sampling, were in the study including 138 (68%) males and 64 (32%) females with mean age of 7.2 years. Statistics regarding age, gender, fever duration, clinical signs and response to treatment were evaluated. Results: Out of 202, Plasmodium falciparum was detected in 67 (33.2%) cases, Plasmodium vivax in 135 (66.8%) cases. Fever was present in 100% of cases and the mean duration prior to diagnosis was 6.7 days. Major symptoms included vomiting, headache and diarrhea. Splenomegaly was present in majority of cases (182 out of 202). Artemether was first line therapy in Plasmodium falciparum with 100% success. Chloroquine was given in Plasmodium vivax with 12% failure (all responded to subsequent Artemether). Conclusion: Malaria is prevalent in children in Thal and response to standard treatment remains satisfactory.