Work

Declining Malaria Burden and Changing Species Distribution: A Twenty-Four-Year Retrospective Hospital-Based Study (2002–2025) in Mangaluru, India

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Background: Malaria elimination is hindered by incomplete treatment and inadequate post-treatment follow-up, particularly among migrant and socioeconomically vulnerable populations.The increasing predominance of Plasmodium vivax further complicates elimination efforts. Methods:We conducted a 24-year retrospective hospital-based study at Government Wenlock Hospital, Mangaluru, Karnataka, India, a tertiary health care center serving a historically malaria-endemic region characterized by rapid urbanization and a large migrant workforce.Suspected cases were clinically evaluated and confirmed by blinded microscopic examination of peripheral blood smears.Species distribution, parasitemia, treatment status, day-7 follow-up, and temporal and seasonal trends were analyzed using R and Python.Results: Among 345,544 suspected cases, 78,053 (22.59%) were microscopyconfirmed.Malaria positivity declined from 24.83% in 2002 to 0.35% in 2025.In 2025, P. vivax accounted for 66.7% of infections and P. falciparum for 33.3%; no mixed infections were detected.Parasitemia was highest in P. falciparum, followed by mixed and P. vivax infections.The proportion of P. vivax increased from 53.39% in 2005 to 86.95% in 2022, whereas P. falciparum declined from 45.15% to 10.81%.Although malaria cases were often concentrated during the post-monsoon period, the timing and magnitude of seasonal peaks varied substantially across years.Conclusions: Malaria declined markedly over the study period, but poor posttreatment follow-up and the increasing predominance of P. vivax remain important barriers to elimination.Strengthened patient tracking, treatment-completion monitoring, and species-specific surveillance are needed, particularly for migrant populations.

Source: Fortune Journal of Health Sciences

DOI: 10.26502/fjhs.447