Patterns and predictors of malaria among head porters: a mobile population in Ghana.

BACKGROUND: Head porters popularly known as 'Kayayeis in Ghana, face challenges in accessing essential health care services due to the mobile nature of their trade, low formal education, poor settlements, low-income among others. Kayayeis are predominantly females and form part of the mobile population who are at increased risk of malaria infection. Despite their increased risk of malaria, mobile populations are difficult to target for malaria interventions, hence serving as potential drivers of transmission even if malaria in the general population is controlled. The study, therefore, assessed the patterns and predictors of malaria among the Kayayei population in Ghana to inform policy decisions. METHODS: A mixed methods study was conducted among Head-porters and their leaders in the three main hubs of Head-porters in Ghana; namely Accra, Kumasi, and Tamale. Blood samples were collected from participants and tested for malaria parasites using Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT). Additionally, data including socio-demographics, malaria knowledge, attitude and practice were collected using a semi-structured questionnaire. Associations between malaria status and participants characteristics were determined by logistic regression (p < 0.05). Thematic analysis was used to analyse transcripts from the key informant interviews. RESULTS: Out of 754 head porters studied, 10.48% (79) tested positive for malaria. The majority 43.10% (325/754) of the head porters were twenty years and below, and most 67.11% (506/754) had no formal education. Nearly half (50.4%) were not on any health insurance. Receiving malaria education in the past 6 months [AOR = 0.48, (0.26-0.88), p-value 0.02], and having poor knowledge of malaria [AOR = 2.23, (1.26-4.27), p < 0.02], were the factors significantly associated with malaria infection. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of malaria among 'Kayayei's was estimated at 10.46%. A majority of them sleeps outside and in structures without mosquito screens. Receiving malaria education in the past 6 months reduced the odds of malaria infection whilst poor knowledge of malaria increased the odds of malaria infection among the porters. The authors recommend that the National Malaria Elimination Programme and partners should provide long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLIN) and other outdoor interventions for use by this special group. Designated state institutions should arrange free National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) registration for 'Kayayeis' to narrow the health access gap.

A retrospective analysis of malaria deaths in the pre- and intra- COVID 19 pandemic era, Ghana, 2016-2021.

BACKGROUND: Global efforts over the years have resulted in a 27% reduction in malaria incidence and an estimated 51% reduction in malaria mortality since 2000. Meanwhile, COVID-19 pandemic disrupted provision and utilization of malaria services, leading to a surge in malaria incidence and mortality. Globally, 627000 malaria deaths were recorded in 2020, representing about 69000 more deaths compared to 2019. Also, 14 million more cases of malaria were recorded in 2020 compared to 2019. This study sought to determine whether excess malaria deaths were recorded in Ghana during the COVID-19 pandemic era. METHODS: This was a descriptive study on routine malaria mortality data in Ghana for the period 2016 to 2021. Data was retrieved from the District Health Information Management System using a data extraction guide. Excess mortality was defined as occurrence of malaria deaths more than expected value for the period 2020 and 2021. The expected number of mortalities for 2020 and 2021 were determined using 2016 to 2019 average. Excess mortality (P-score) was estimated using the formula: [(reported mortalities-expected mortalities)/expected mortalities X 100%]. Data were summarized and processed in Microsoft excel version 16.0. Malaria mortality in Ghana and its regions was described using tables and line graphs. RESULTS: An average of 535 malaria deaths per year were recorded nationwide from 2016 to 2020. About 50% (1603/3207) of deaths occurred in children aged less than five years. The p-scores for the country were -53% and -58% for 2020 and 2021 respectively. No region recorded excess all-age malaria mortality in 2020, rather significant reduction. Stratified by age, Greater Accra region reported 90% higher than expected deaths among persons aged five years and above in 2020 (p-score = 90%, 95% CI: 21-159). All regions reported reduction in under-five mortality in 2020. No significant excess malaria mortalities were reported among the regions in 2021. CONCLUSION: Although negative p-scores suggested a decline in malaria mortalities nationwide, some regions recorded excess deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic era. There is a need to integrate COVID-19 control activities with malaria control and prevention efforts to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on malaria case management and mortality.

Malaria and respiratory syncytial virus as causes of acute febrile illness in an urban paediatric population in Ghana.

Background: The sub-Saharan region of Africa is endemic for malaria, and fever is often assumed to be malaria. In Ghana, about 3.7 million cases were reported in 2011, with 24.4% of these laboratory-confirmed. Other causes of febrile illness, including respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), are prevalent in developing countries like Ghana. There is very little data on the prevalence of this virus in the country. This study determined the proportion of acute febrile illness in an urban paediatric population that was due to malaria or RSV. Methods: A hospital based surveillance system recruited children below five years of age reporting with fever (axillary temperature ≥ 37.5°C) at the outpatient department of an urban hospital from February 2009 to February 2010. Consenting parents/guardians were interviewed, the medical history of the child was taken and the child clinically examined. Thick blood film from capillary blood taken through a finger prick, was Giemsa-stained and microscopically examined for malaria parasites to confirm malaria diagnosis. Nasopharyngeal aspirate was also examined for RSV by polymerase chain reaction. Results: Out of 481 febrile children, 51(10.8%) were positive for malaria whilst 75 (15.4%) were positive for RSV. Seven of the 75 RSV-positive cases (9.3%) were co-infected with malaria. Based on judgement by clinicians, over 80% of the febrile children were diagnosed and treated as having malaria either alone or in combination with other diseases. Conclusion: Not all febrile episodes in malaria-endemic regions are due to malaria. The diagnosis and subsequent treatment of patients based solely on clinical diagnosis leads to an over diagnosis of malaria. Improvement in the guidelines and facilities for the diagnosis of non-malaria febrile illness leads to improved malaria diagnosis. Clinicians should be looking for other causes of fever rather than treating all fevers as malaria.