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Of an estimated 500 million people worldwide with malaria, more than 1 million die each year. With the ease of global travel, imported malaria can be seen anywhere and should be included in the differential diagnosis of febrile patients in the emergency department. To examine trends in malaria cases in the U.K., researchers prospectively gathered national laboratory surveillance data for 1987 through 2006. The researchers identified 39,300 cases of malaria, most caused by Plasmodium falciparum (63%) and P. vivax (28%).
During the 20-year study period, reported falciparum cases — the most deadly form of malaria — increased significantly. The ratio of falciparum to vivax cases increased from 1.3:1 to 5.4:1. Mortality rates remained stable at j…