[Tertian malaria in children and adults from an epidemic region in southern Turkey (author's transl)].

Since 1974 an epidemic of tertian malaria has been spreading around the Adana and Tarsus townships in southern Turkey, with a peak incidence of 115 500 cases in 1977. A further increase is to be expected because the insect vectors have become resistant to insecticides. Since 1975 eleven children and three adults have been treated for P. vivax malaria. They had all stayed in the epidemic area during the transmission season which lasts from July to October. Because of a long primary latent period seven patients only developed first manifestations of the disease six to nine months after leaving Turkey. The classical malarial paroxysms were missing during the first weeks of the primary attack. Several children had a febrile illness over weeks with headache, vomiting, abdominal pain, hepatosplenomegaly, high blood-sedimentation rate and severe haemolytic anaemia, so that appendicitis or septicaemia had been suspected. Tetracyclines and trimethroprimsulphamethoxazole were able to suppress the disease without preventing relapses.