MALARIA IN DISTRICT OF MADINA, NORTH SUMATERA PROVINCE, INDONESIA

Pasaribu¹, Lubis M¹, Lubis B¹, Lubis CP¹, Nasution M²

¹ Department of Child Health, Medical School,

University of North Sumatera, Indonesia

² Government Hospital, Padang Sidempuan, Indonesia

Objective: To know the prevalence, age distribution, clinical symptoms of Malaria in District of Madina, North Sumatera Province, Indonesia

Methods: A cross sectional study in 5 villages and hospital in District of Madina. All patients who came to the health center or hospital with the complaints of fever, pale, diarrhea and headache were enrolled in this study. The study has been done from 9 to 19 April 2001. Thick and thin blood smear was done as diagnostic tool.

Results: We examined 225 patients, and 119 cases (46.7%) among them were malaria. We found falsiparum malaria 92 cases (77.3%), vivax malaria 25 cases (21%) and mixed infections (Pf+Pv) 2 cases (1.7%). The youngest patient was 6 month of age with falsiparum malaria and the oldest 80 years old with falsiparum malaria too. Fever was the most important symptom (96.6%); headache (71.4%); pale (63%) and Diarrhea (30.3%). On physical examinations, we found that splenomegaly was 27.7%; hepatomegaly was 4.2% and hepatosplenomegaly was 6.7%.

Conclusion: The prevalence of malaria in Distric of Madina is still high and plasmodium falsiparum was the leading cause of the disease.

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