Probable effective factors on malaria situation and morbidity in Bandar Abbas district during 1998-2002

Introduction: Malaria has continued to be a public health problem in Bandar
Abbas with a morbidity of 1093-5672 cases during last decades. Several years
study on malaria cases showed differences in the disease epidemic curve in
different parts of Bandar Abbas district. Therefore, this study was conducted to
determine the malaria situation during 1998-2002, to find the probable effective
factors on the disease and to obtain the last data to use in malaria control
program.
Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional survey, ecological, geographical and
demographic aspects of malaria disease were studied. Malaria data and is
probable effective factors such as epidemiological indices, monitoring, treatment,
amount of insecticides used in the malaria control program, living in urban or
rural area, using electricity power, changes in the weather conditions, etc were
obtained from Bandar Abbas public health center and its related urban and rural
stations during 1998-2002. For data analysis, SPSS and EPI-info statistical
softwares were used.
Results: Bandar Abbas district with Annual Parasite Incidence (API) of 1.7-4.2
per 1000 population had a specific condition and involved 4.1-7.9% of total
positive malaria cases in Iran during 1998-2002. The most and least cases
occurred during 1998 and 2001, respectively. While during the period of this
study 6905 positive malaria cases were reported. The number of villages with
positive cases dropped from 102 in 1998 to 55 in 2001.
Conclusion: The disease situation indicates a hypoendemic and unstable area.
Considering new wave of immigrants from different countries and chance of
disease outbreak after heavy precipitation, it should be concered as a suitable
biological condition for anopheles mosquitoes maturation. As the district has
emigrants from different countries, it must always be kept in mind the danger of
malaria epidemies.