Abstract:

To understand the epidemiological characteristics of imported malaria in Shenyang, data on imported malaria cases and case investigations reported in Shenyang from 2013 to 2022 were collected from the National Diseases Reporting Information System and analyzed the type, population, time and source of imported malaria cases in Shenyang using descriptive epidemiological methods. A total of 176 imported malaria cases were reported in Shenyang from 2013 to 2022. The number of reported cases was the highest in 2016 and 2018, both at 25 cases (14.2%), while it was the lowest in 2022, at 5 cases (2.8%), with a decreasing trend. The majority of the reported cases were falciparum malaria (152 cases), accounting for 86.4%. Ovale malaria, vivax malaria and malariae malaria accounted for 7.4% (13/176), 4.5% (8/176) and 1.7% (3/176) respectively. There were 168 reported cases among males (accounting for 95.5%), and 8 reported cases among females (accounting for 4.6%), with a male-to-female ratio of 21∶1. The age of the reported cases was mainly in the age groups of 40-49 years (60 cases, 34.1%). Cases were reported throughout the year from 2013 to 2022, with the highest number of cases reported in September (12 cases, 11.4%). There was no obvious seasonal pattern. The sources of reported cases involved 28 countries from 3 continents, mainly from African countries, accounting for 95.6% (168/176). It suggested Shenyang should continue to strengthen the monitoring and case management of imported malaria, as well as enhancing the health education for entry-exit personnel, so as to prevent the re-transmission of imported malaria and consolidate the achievements of malaria elimination.

Key words: Imported malaria, Epidemiological characteristics, Shenyang