Home Articles List Article Information
International Journal of Travel Medicine and Global Health
Journal Archive
Volume Volume 6 (2018)
Volume Volume 5 (2017)
Volume Volume 4 (2016)
Volume Volume 3 (2015)
Volume Volume 2 (2014)
Volume Volume 1 (2013)
Bawazir, A., Bansal, D., Chehab, M., Al-Dahshan, A., Bala, M., Al-Romaihi, H., Al-Shamali, M., Al-Hajri, M., Al-Bayat, S., Al-Thani, M., Farag, E. (2018). Malaria Chemoprophylaxis for Travelers: The Knowledge of Physicians in the State of Qatar, 2017. International Journal of Travel Medicine and Global Health, 6(2), 69-75. doi: 10.15171/ijtmgh.2018.13
Ahmad Bawazir; Devendra Bansal; Mohamad Chehab; Ayman Al-Dahshan; Mohamed Bala; Hamad Al-Romaihi; Maha Al-Shamali; Mohamed Al-Hajri; Soha Al-Bayat; Mohammed Al-Thani; Elmoubasher Farag. "Malaria Chemoprophylaxis for Travelers: The Knowledge of Physicians in the State of Qatar, 2017". International Journal of Travel Medicine and Global Health, 6, 2, 2018, 69-75. doi: 10.15171/ijtmgh.2018.13
Bawazir, A., Bansal, D., Chehab, M., Al-Dahshan, A., Bala, M., Al-Romaihi, H., Al-Shamali, M., Al-Hajri, M., Al-Bayat, S., Al-Thani, M., Farag, E. (2018). 'Malaria Chemoprophylaxis for Travelers: The Knowledge of Physicians in the State of Qatar, 2017', International Journal of Travel Medicine and Global Health, 6(2), pp. 69-75. doi: 10.15171/ijtmgh.2018.13
Bawazir, A., Bansal, D., Chehab, M., Al-Dahshan, A., Bala, M., Al-Romaihi, H., Al-Shamali, M., Al-Hajri, M., Al-Bayat, S., Al-Thani, M., Farag, E. Malaria Chemoprophylaxis for Travelers: The Knowledge of Physicians in the State of Qatar, 2017. International Journal of Travel Medicine and Global Health, 2018; 6(2): 69-75. doi: 10.15171/ijtmgh.2018.13

Malaria Chemoprophylaxis for Travelers: The Knowledge of Physicians in the State of Qatar, 2017

Article 5, Volume 6, Issue 2, Spring 2018, Page 69-75  XML PDF (272 K)
Document Type: Original Article
DOI: 10.15171/ijtmgh.2018.13
Authors
Ahmad Bawazir1; Devendra Bansalorcid 2; Mohamad Chehaborcid 3; Ayman Al-Dahshan3; Mohamed Balaorcid 3; Hamad Al-Romaihi4; Maha Al-Shamali4; Mohamed Al-Hajri4; Soha Al-Bayat4; Mohammed Al-Thani4; Elmoubasher Farag 4
1Primary Health Care Corporation, Doha, Qatar
2Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weil Cornell Medicine, Doha, Qatar
3Community Medicine Residency Program, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar
4Ministry of Public Health, Doha, Qatar
Receive Date: 16 April 2018,  Revise Date: 04 May 2018,  Accept Date: 13 May 2018 
Abstract
Introduction: Malaria is among the most significant travel-related infections encountered by travelers to endemic countries in terms of morbidity and mortality. In Qatar, imported malaria has increased over the last 5 years; 493 travel-related cases were confirmed in 2016. In the current study, the knowledge of malaria chemoprophylaxis among physicians in the State of Qatar was assessed.
Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted during a national travel health workshop at the Ministry of Public Health, Qatar. Physicians participating in the workshop from different national healthcare institutions providing travel medicine services were invited to voluntarily complete a self-administered, structured questionnaire.
Results: Forty-two medical doctors participated in the study (92 response rate). Based on their specialty, almost two-thirds (64.3%) of the participants were family medicine physicians, and one-fifth (21.43%) were general practitioners. Furthermore, most of the doctors were untrained in travel medicine. The majority of participants demonstrated a good knowledge of the malaria parasite (100%), Plasmodium species (64.3%), incidence (83.3%), transmission (66.7%), and drug-resistance (95.2%) of malaria. Additionally, most physicians (>90) were knowledgeable about the major features of severe or complicated malaria as well as malaria prevention and chemoprophylaxis.
Conclusion: This study highlights several areas of good knowledge on travel-related malaria prophylaxis and prevention among the study participants; however, there are still a few knowledge gaps that require mitigation. Continuing training programs on malaria prevention in travelers will sustain this good level of knowledge among physicians and improve the quality of pre-travel advice provided by travel medicine practitioners in Qatar.
Keywords
Chemoprevention; Malaria; Travel Medicine; Qatar
References
  1. World Health Organization. World Malaria Report 2017. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2017.
  2. Malaria Risk Assessment for Travelers. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website. https://www.cdc.gov/malaria/travelers/vfr.html. Published 2017.
  3. Loutan L. Malaria: still a threat to travellers. Int J Antimicrob Agents. 2003;21(2):158-163. doi:10.1016/S0924-8579(02)00367-9.
  4. Iqbal J, Hira PR, Al-Ali F, Sher A. Imported malaria in Kuwait (1985-2000). J Travel Med. 2003;10(6):324-329. doi:10.2310/7060.2003.9291.
  5. Ismaeel AY, Senok AC, Jassim Al-Khaja KA, Botta GA. Status of malaria in the Kingdom of Bahrain: a 10-year review. J Travel Med. 2004;11(2):97-101. doi:10.2310/7060.2004.17059.
  6. Meleigy M. The quest to be free of malaria. Bull World Health Organ. 2007;85(7):507-508. doi:10.2471/BLT.07.020707.
  7. Beljaev AE. [The malaria situation in the WHO eastern Mediterranean region]. Med Parazitol (Mosk). 2000(2):12-15.
  8. Snow RW, Amratia P, Zamani G, et al. The malaria transition on the Arabian Peninsula: progress toward a malaria-free region between 1960-2010. Adv Parasitol. 2013;82:205-251. doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-407706-5.00003-4.
  9. World Health Organization. World Malaria Report 2011. http:// www.who.int/malaria/world_malaria_report_2011/en/. Accessed August 8, 2017. Published 2011.
  10. Shibl A, Senok A, Memish Z. Infectious diseases in the Arabian Peninsula and Egypt. Clin Microbiol Infect. 2012;18(11):1068- 1080. doi:10.1111/1469-0691.12010.
  11. Al-Kuwari MG. Epidemiology of imported malaria in Qatar. J Travel Med. 2009;16(2):119-122. doi:10.1111/j.1708-8305.2008.00285.x.
  12. Khan FY, Lutof AK, Yassin MA, et al. Imported malaria in Qatar: a one year hospital-based study in 2005. Travel Med Infect Dis. 2009;7(2):111-117. doi:10.1016/j.tmaid.2009.01.003.
  13. Ministry of Public Health. MOPH Annual Report Public 2016. Qatar: MOPH; 2017.
  14. Mikhail MW, Al-Bursheed KM, Abd El-Halim AS, Morsy TA. Studies on mosquito borne diseases in Egypt and Qatar. J Egypt Soc Parasitol. 2009;39(3):745-756.
  15. Recommendations for Immigrants from Malaria-Endemic Countries Planning to Return “Home” to Visit Friends and Relatives. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website. https://www.cdc.gov/malaria/travelers/vfr.html. Published 2017.
  16. Schwartz E. Prophylaxis of malaria. Mediterr J Hematol Infect Dis. 2012;4(1):e2012045. doi:10.4084/mjhid.2012.45.
  17. Krause G, Schoneberg I, Altmann D, Stark K. Chemoprophylaxis and malaria death rates. Emerg Infect Dis. 2006;12(3):447-451. doi:10.3201/eid1203.050736.
  18. Chaves TD, Monteiro WM, Alves JR, Lacerda M, Lopes MH. Pre-travel malaria chemoprophylaxis counselling in a public travel medicine clinic in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Malar J. 2017;16(1):64. doi:10.1186/s12936-017-1713-3.
  19. World Health Organization EMRO. Malaria Control and Elimination - Malaria country profiles (Qatar). http://www.emro.who.int/malaria/publications/malaria-country-profiles-2012.html. Accessed August 8, 2017. Published 2012.
  20. Mace KE, Arguin PM. Malaria Surveillance - United States, 2014. MMWR Surveill Summ. 2017;66(12):1-24. doi:10.15585/mmwr.ss6612a1.
  21. Chen LH, Wilson ME, Schlagenhauf P. Prevention of malaria in long-term travelers. JAMA. 2006;296(18):2234-2244. doi:10.1001/ jama.296.18.2234.
  22. Stoney RJ, Chen LH, Jentes ES, et al. Malaria Prevention Strategies: Adherence Among Boston Area Travelers Visiting Malaria-Endemic Countries. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2016;94(1):136-142. doi:10.4269/ajtmh.15-0565.
  23. Fernando SD, Dharmawardana P, Semege S, et al. The risk of imported malaria in security forces personnel returning from overseas missions in the context of prevention of re-introduction of malaria to Sri Lanka. Malar J. 2016;15(1):144. doi:10.1186/s12936-016-1204-y.
  24. Mawhorter SD. Travel medicine for the primary care physician. Cleve Clin J Med. 1997;64(9):483-492. doi:10.3949/ccjm.64.9.483.
  25. Keystone JS, Dismukes R, Sawyer L, Kozarsky PE. Inadequacies in Health Recommendations Provided for International Travelers by North American Travel Health Advisors. J Travel Med. 1994;1(2):72- 78. doi:10.1111/j.1708-8305.1994.tb00566.x.
  26. Hoveyda N, McDonald P, Behrens RH. A Description of Travel Medicine in General Practice: A Postal Questionnaire Survey. J Travel Med. 2004;11(5):295-299. doi:10.2310/7060.2004.19105.
  27. Huang HL, Chiu TY, Huang KC, Cheng SY, Yao CA, Lee LT. Travel-related mosquito-transmitted disease questionnaire survey among health professionals in Taiwan. J Travel Med. 2011;18(1):34-38. doi:10.1111/j.1708-8305.2010.00483.x.
  28. Ropers G, Krause G, Tiemann F, Du Ry van Beest Holle M, Stark K. Nationwide survey of the role of travel medicine in primary care in Germany. J Travel Med. 2004;11(5):287-294. doi:10.2310/7060.2004.19104.
  29. Pavli A, Lymperi I, Katerelos P, Maltezou HC. Knowledge and practice of malaria prophylaxis among travel medicine consultants in Greece. Travel Med Infect Dis. 2012;10(5-6):224-229. doi:10.1016/j.tmaid.2012.09.006.
  30. Chiodini J. The standard of malaria prevention advice in UK primary care. Travel Med Infect Dis. 2009;7(3):165-168. doi:10.1016/j. tmaid.2009.02.003.
  31. Porter JF, Knill-Jones RP. Quality of travel health advice in higher-education establishments in the United Kingdom and its relationship to the demographic background of the provider. J Travel Med. 2004;11(6):347-353. doi:10.2310/7060.2004.19202.
Statistics
Article View: 575
PDF Download: 318