Published in:
Open Access
01-12-2012 | Case report
Plasmodium vivax congenital malaria in an area of very low endemicity in Guatemala: implications for clinical and epidemiological surveillance in a malaria elimination context
Authors:
María Eugenia Castellanos, Azucena Bardají, Michela Menegon, Alfredo Mayor, Meghna Desai, Carlo Severini, Clara Menéndez, Norma Padilla
Published in:
Malaria Journal
|
Issue 1/2012
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Abstract
This is a report of the first Plasmodium vivax congenital malaria case in Guatemala and the first case in Latin America with genotypical, histological and clinical characterization. The findings show that maternal P. vivax infection still occurs in areas that are in the pathway towards malaria elimination, and can be associated with detrimental health effects for the neonate. It also highlights the need in very low transmission areas of not only maintaining, but increasing awareness of the problem and developing surveillance strategies, based on population risk, to detect the infection especially in this vulnerable group of the population.