Trend Analysis of Malaria Prevalence in a District of Western Ghats, Karnataka, India: A Retrospective Study

Introduction: Among vector borne diseases, malaria remained a major threat to public health from decades because of its course and complications. Being the endemic region, malaria poses a great threat because it causes multiorgan failure. Though continuous monitoring, effective implementation of control measures are in place still India contributes to majority of cases in sub Asian region.

Aim: To estimate the prevalence of malaria, to determine the seasonality and to analyse the trend of the disease over the period.

Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective study conducted at Chikamagalur a district in Karnataka, India, in the year 2022 over a period of six months. The study was done by collecting the data of patient details from the laboratory register. The results were analysed, positive results were calculated for disease burden by Plasmodium vivax (P. vivax) and Plasmodium falciparum (P. falciparum).
Results: Out of 27,474 samples, 94 were found positive for malaria parasite of which P. vivax cases were 90 (95%) and 4 (5%) was P. falciparum cases. Prevalence rate was 0.34%. There is 24% drop in malaria cases from 2019-2021 when compared to 2015-2018.

Conclusion: The present study shows decline in the number of malaria cases from 2015 to 2021. The cases showed seasonal variation with maximum cases being reported in September. As India is in the decline phase of cases, with the collective efforts of clinicians, laboratory personnel and community health workers, elimination of malaria could be a possibility.