Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg. 2026 Jan 31:traf145. doi: 10.1093/trstmh/traf145. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Malaria is a serious public health issue in Pakistan. This study investigated the spatiotemporal patterns, seasonal dynamics, and molecular confirmation of malaria in District Malakand, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, from 2011 to 2017.
METHODS: Clinical data were collected from the District Headquarters Hospital over 7 y. A random sample of 120 patients from 2017 was used for microscopic and molecular identification. Spatial-temporal patterns were analysed using ArcGIS (Environmental Systems Research Institute (Esri), Redlands, California, United States). Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS (IBM Corporation, Armonk, New York, United States) and R software (R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria).
RESULTS: Of 41 863 tests, 6246 were positive, yielding an overall test positivity rate of 14.92%. Males (58.89%) were more affected than females. The highest proportion of cases was in the 1-20-y age group. The annual test positive rate declined from 32.97% in 2011 to 10.77% in 2017. Seasonally, autumn had the highest case proportion (46.73%); winter the lowest (7.09%). Spatial analysis identified Gharhi, Dargai and Haryankot as high-burden areas. Inverse distance weighting highlighted these as hotspots for potential transmission. PCR confirmed microscopy-based species identification.
CONCLUSIONS: Malaria in Malakand peaks in autumn, affecting males and individuals aged <20 y most. Neighbouring villages are at risk from hyper-endemic areas. Microscopy remains a dependable diagnostic tool here.
PMID:41618708 | DOI:10.1093/trstmh/traf145
