Clinical Profile, Syndromic Classification, and Studying the Seasonal Variation and Geo-mapping of the Patients with Febrile Illness Reporting to a Primary Health Center in Puducherry.

Background: Fever is a common symptom of many infectious diseases, and acute febrile illness has been a common occurrence in the low- and middle-income countries like India and imposes heavy burden on the healthcare system, especially at the primary healthcare level. We aimed to study the clinical profile, seasonal pattern, and geolocation of the patients with fever reporting to a primary health center (PHC). Materials and Methods: This hospital- and community-based longitudinal study was conducted in the Union Territory of Puducherry, and the data was collected from 2634 fever patients of all ages reporting to the fever clinic in a PHC. Structured questionnaire was used to collect the relevant data. Mean, median, and mode were used to analyze the data, and Quantum Geographic Information System software was used to geolocate the febrile patients reporting from the service area of PHC Kalapet. Results: Majority of the participants (34.5%) belonged to the age group of 20-44 years, and 53% of males were affected with febrile illness. Respiratory symptoms were the most common symptoms associated with fever when they reported to PHC Kalapet. In addition, most of the study participants were diagnosed as a probable case of acute respiratory illness (ARI; 58.7%). More number of cases were reported from the months of November to January in the rainy and post-rainy seasons. Clustering of febrile cases was seen in areas like Periyakalapet and Pillaichavady. Conclusion: Fever continues to be a major public health problem in India, where a few cases go undiagnosed due to limited diagnostic facilities in PHCs. ARI cases were the highest among the fever cases reporting to a PHC, and most of the fever cases were managed at the primary care level.