Resumen

SOJO-MILANO, Mayira  y  GRANDE-MONTALVO, Tanilù. Epidemiology of repetitive malaria cases in Amazonas, Venezuela. Bol Mal Salud Amb [online]. 2009, vol.49, n.1, pp.73-89. ISSN 1690-4648.

To understand frequency, distribution and risk factors related to repetitive malaria cases, three localities in Amazonas state, Venezuela, were studied. In Platanillal (P), Alto Carinagua (AC) and Puente Parhueña (PP) from Atures, with Annual Parasite Incidence-API (year 2007) of 149, 125 and 81 cases per thousand inhabitants, respectively, a cross-sectional study, was performed during April-May 2007. The spatial distribution of both repetitive cases and malaric houses was observed. In P, AC and PP, with 390, 154 and 309 inhabitants, the majority was younger than 20 years old (58%). Between May 2006 and April 2007, proportions for P,AC and PP were: malaria antecedent: 49.0; 14.3 y 32.7% of population; repetitive cases: 11.5 (IC95: 6.9-16.1); 0 and 10.9% (IC95: 4.5 -17.3) out of those with antecedents. Repetitive cases occurred at any age, frequently students and housekeepers. Significant (P≤0.05) association to repetitive malaria cases was found for: working as agriculturist/fisher (OR=6.4) and travel history during the last semester (OR=6.1). Being Piaroa and Evangelist were protective factors with regard to malaria antecedent and having animals more than 50 meters away from the household, respect to the malaric house. Spatial distribution of both malaric houses and houses with repetitive malaria cases showed a scattered pattern. Repetitive malaria case and malaric house are two concepts that could have direct usefulness in the follow-up of local malaria micro-epidemiology, especially on the problem dynamic stratification process.

Palabras clave : malaric house; non-conventional surveillance; repetitive malaria case; risk factors.