Malaria Prevalence in Asymptomatic and Symptomatic Children Living in Rural, Semi-Urban and Urban Areas in Eastern Gabon.
Acta Parasitol
; 69(1): 471-482, 2024 Mar.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38194048
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Malaria remains a major public health issue in the world despite a decline in the disease burden. However, though symptomatic malaria is diagnosed and treated, asymptomatic infections remain poorly known and support transmission. This study assessed the prevalence of symptomatic and asymptomatic Plasmodium spp. infections in three areas in Gabon to monitor and evaluate the impact of malaria. METHODS ANDRESULTS:
A cross-sectional study was conducted in three areas of Gabon. Febrile and afebrile children aged 6 months to 15 years were included in this study. Malaria prevalence was determined by microscopy of and using rapid diagnostic test (RDT). Plasmodium spp. species were identified by PCR according to the Snounou method. The data were recorded in Excel, and the statistical analyses were performed using the software R version R 64 × 3.5.0. A total of 2381(333 asymptomatic and 107 symptomatic) children were included. The overall prevalence of malaria was 40% (952/2381), with the majority (77% symptomatic and 98% asymptomatic) of infections caused by Plasmodium falciparum. A high prevalence of malaria was found in infected children in rural and semi-rural areas. In these two areas, a higher prevalence of Plasmodium malariae was observed in asymptomatic. Furthermore, mixed infections were more prevalent in asymptomatic children than in symptomatic.CONCLUSION:
This study showed that the prevalence of Plasmodium spp. infection varied according to the regions. The main species was Plasmodium falciparum, but in asymptomatic children the prevalence of Plasmodium malariae was high in rural areas. To help fight malaria more effectively asymptomatic infections should be taken into account and treated.Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
População Rural
/
População Urbana
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Malária
Tipo de estudo:
Diagnostic_studies
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Observational_studies
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Prevalence_studies
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Risk_factors_studies
Limite:
Adolescent
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Child
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Child, preschool
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Female
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Humans
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Infant
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Male
País como assunto:
Africa
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2024
Tipo de documento:
Article