Symptomatic and asymptomatic malaria prevalence and its determinant factors in pastoral communities of Waghemira Zone, Northeast Ethiopia: A community-based cross-sectional study.

Background and Aims: Malaria elimination programs have also encountered numerous challenges, such as widespread asymptomatic carriers in endemic areas, which should be taken into account in malaria-control programs for effective transmission interruption. The purpose of this research was to determine the prevalence of symptomatic and asymptomatic malaria infections and associated factors, in pastoral communities. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among selected districts in the Waghemra Zone, Northeast Ethiopia, from September to December 2022. A structured questionnaire was employed to collect sociodemographic data and associated risk factors. Plasmodium species were detected using light microscopy and a rapid diagnostic test. Data entry and analysis were carried out using SPSS version 26 software. The association between dependent and independent variables was explored by using multivariable logistic regression analyses. A statistically significant association was declared at a p-value of <0.05. Results: The overall prevalence of malaria was 21.2% (134/633), with the predominant Plasmodium falciparum infections accounting for 67.8% (87/134). Among asymptomatic participants, 7.5% (34/451) and 10.2% (46/451) were diagnosed by rapid diagnostic test and light microscopy, respectively. On the other hand, the prevalence of symptomatic malaria was 44.5% (81/182) and 48.4% (88/182) as diagnosed by rapid diagnostic test and light microscopy, respectively. The presence of stagnant water near the houses, the utilization of insecticide-treated mosquito nets, the number of insecticide-treated mosquito nets, and outdoor stays at night were all positively linked with the prevalence of malaria. Conclusions: The overall prevalence estimate for symptomatic and asymptomatic malaria was high. Malaria is still a public health problem in the study area. Malaria infection was associated with the presence of stagnant water near the houses, the utilization of insecticide-treated mosquito nets, the number of insecticide-treated mosquito nets, and outdoor stays at night. Improved access to all malaria interventions is needed to interrupt the transmission at the community level.

Asymptomatic Malaria in Households and Neighbors of Laboratory Confirmed Cases in Raya Kobo District, Northeast Ethiopia.

Background: Malaria is the leading vector-borne parasitic disease that is causing high morbidity and mortality worldwide. So far huge efforts to control and eliminate malaria are hindered by the occurrence of asymptomatic carriers that are a potential source of infection. Yet, there is a scarcity of data nationally and in the current study area as well. Therefore, this study was aimed to assess the prevalence of asymptomatic malaria in Northeast Ethiopia. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in 2019 involving a total of 270 study participants recruited via purposive non-probability sampling technique. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data on sociodemographic characteristics, individual and household factors related to asymptomatic malaria. Data were entered in Epi Data 3.1 version and analyzed by using SPSS version 20, and p< 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The overall prevalence of asymptomatic malaria was 7.0%, with 3.0%, 5.2%, and 12.0%, respectively by Rapid diagnostic tests (RDT), Microscopy and Polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The majority of infections (73.7%) were identified from index households. Previous malaria history (AOR: 4.030, 95% CI: 1.021-15.903), living with index cases (AOR: 3.880, 95% CI: 1.275-11.806) and family size > 6 members (AOR: 4.820, 95% CI: 1.260-18.437) were significant predictors of asymptomatic malaria. Conclusion: Reactive case detection had identified considerably higher asymptomatic malaria cases in the community. Therefore, active case investigation should be established in the community by tracking the symptomatic cases at the health facilities.

Intestinal Parasitic Infections Among Patients Who Visited Woldia Comprehensive Specialized Hospital's Emergency Department Over a Six-Year Period, Woldia, Ethiopia: A Retrospective Study.

Background: Despite ongoing intensive public health intervention efforts, intestinal parasitic infections (IPIs) remain a major public health problem in developing countries, including Ethiopia. Having updated epidemiological data focusing on the top common IPIs that cause emergency visits is crucial for implementing area-specific and evidence-based intervention strategies. Hence, this study aimed to determine the prevalence of IPIs in Woldia Comprehensive Specialized Hospital's (WCSH) emergency laboratory over a six-year period. Methods: An institutional-based retrospective study was conducted to assess the prevalence of IPIs over a six-year period (2014-2019) using a recorded saline wet-mount stool sample examination result in the laboratory logbook at WCSH's emergency department. Results: In this study, of the total of 11,281 clinically suspected individuals who were requested for stool sample examination, 3908 (34.6%) individuals were diagnosed with IPs. The majority of confirmed cases were caused by protozoan parasites (32.9%), followed by helminth infections (1.7%). A slight fluctuating trend in the prevalence of IPs was observed in the six-year study period, with the highest prevalence documented in the year of 2014 (41.3%) and the lowest in 2017 (28.0%). Entamoeba histolytica/dispar and Giardia lamblia accounts for 95% of the IPs. The prevalence of protozoan infection was significantly higher in females (p-value = 0.0101), while H. nana (p-value =0.0138) and E. vermicularis (p-value = 0.0201) infections were higher in males. The highest and the lowest IP prevalence were reported in the age groups of 45-54 years (40%) and under five years (25.6%), respectively. Conclusion and Recommendations: In the study area, nearly one-third of patients with emergency visits due to gastrointestinal symptoms were infected with IPs. This underlines the severity of the problem in the study area, which requires a collaborative effort of concerned bodies to minimize the burden of IP to the level where it is no longer a public health threat.