Malaria Transmission Via Needle Stick Injury: A Case Report and Systematic Review of the Literature.
The Pediatric infectious disease journal·
- DOI
- 10.1097/inf.0000000000005376
- PMID
- 42604975
- PMCID
- —
- OpenAlex
- W7203587656
- Study type
- Systematic review
- Publisher
- Publisher unavailable
- Article type
- journal-article
- Integrity
- current
Why this research matters now
The findings document rare but recognized occupational transmission risk for healthcare workers managing malaria patients, emphasizing the need for standard precautions and post-exposure protocols in clinical settings where malaria is encountered.
Structured evidence summary
Research question
The paper reports a pediatric case of severe Plasmodium falciparum malaria complicated by a needle stick injury to the attending physician, and systematically reviews published cases of malaria transmission to healthcare workers via sharps injuries or blood exposure.
Study design
This is a case report paired with a systematic literature review. The review identified 22 case reports published over 55 years describing occupational malaria transmission events in healthcare settings.
Population and setting
The index case involved an 11-year-old boy with severe P. falciparum malaria and his attending doctor. The literature review covered healthcare professionals who experienced occupational malaria transmission through needle stick injuries, broken glass, or blood spillage.
Main findings
The systematic review identified 22 published case reports: 15 involving needle stick injuries, one involving a broken glass test tube, and six where transmission appeared to occur via blood spillage onto intact or compromised skin. The paper also discusses management options for needle stick injuries in the malaria context.
Public-health relevance
The findings document rare but recognized occupational transmission risk for healthcare workers managing malaria patients, emphasizing the need for standard precautions and post-exposure protocols in clinical settings where malaria is encountered.
Important limitations
This summary is limited to the supplied single-article abstract and metadata. Full interpretation of case definitions, review methodology, quality assessment, and clinical management recommendations requires access to the complete published paper.
GIDS interpretation
The paper is classifier-linked to malaria transmission dynamics, making it discoverable in searches for occupational or non-vector transmission pathways. It provides historical context for rare healthcare-associated malaria cases but does not report or analyze active surveillance data.
Related GIDS surveillance
Literature context does not validate, explain, or change a surveillance signal. Exact and contextual relationships are shown separately.
Evidence relationships
This article has 4 auditable classifier relationships to diseases, places, topics, and study design.