Table 1_Epidemiological and clinical characteristics of imported malaria patients admitted to a specialized hospital: a retrospective study (2021– June 2026).doc

All patients were male, and 98.3% were aged 30–59 years. Most patients had a travel history to Africa (95.8%), particularly West Africa (54.2%) and Central Africa (28.3%). Among the 120 patients with confirmed parasite identification, Plasmodium falciparum (P. falciparum) was the predominant species (67.5%), followed by Plasmodium ovale (P. ovale) (20.0%), Plasmodium vivax (P. vivax) (7.5%), and Plasmodium malariae (P. malariae) (5.0%).

Fever was observed in all patients. The distribution of Plasmodium species differed significantly according to travel regions (Monte Carlo simulated P < 0.001). Further analysis within Africa revealed a significant difference among West, Central, and East Africa (Monte Carlo simulated P = 0.016).

All patients received antimalarial treatment. Artemisinin-based therapies were the main treatment strategies, with dihydroartemisinin–piperaquine used in 90.0% of patients and intravenous artesunate administered in 41.7% of cases.</p>Conclusion<p>Imported malaria remains a significant clinical and public health challenge following malaria elimination in Shandong Province. Cases are predominantly identified among working-age males returning from sub-Saharan Africa, with P. falciparum as the dominant parasite species.

Therefore, strengthening surveillance of overseas travellers, improving early diagnosis, and maintaining standardised treatment protocols are essential to prevent the re-establishment of malaria.</p>