On-going malaria transmission in The Gambia despite high coverage of control interventions: a nationwide cross-sectional survey

Malaria Journal

Research

Koen Peeters Grietens¹  Gian Luca Di Tanna²  Jane Achan³  Joseph Okebe³  Omar Janha³  Kevin Opondo³  Julia Mwesigwa³  Muna Affara³  Davis Nwakanma³  Umberto D’Alessandro⁴ 

[1] Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium;School of International Health Development, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan;Partners for Applied Social Sciences (PASS) International, Tessenderlo, Belgium;London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK;Medical Research Council Unit, PO Box 273, Banjul, The Gambia;Medical Research Council Unit, PO Box 273, Banjul, The Gambia;London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK;Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium;

关键词: Malaria transmission;    Asymptomatic parasitaemia;    Heterogeneity;    The Gambia;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12936-015-0829-6

 received in 2015-03-30, accepted in 2015-08-03,  发布年份 2015

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundAs indicators of burden of malaria have substantially decreased in The Gambia, reaching a pre-elimination status may be attainable. Achieving this goal requires in-depth understanding of the current burden of Plasmodium falciparum infection.MethodsA nationwide cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2012 to determine the prevalence of P.falciparum infection, and to describe its heterogeneity and associated risk factors. Finger-prick blood samples were collected for microscopy, species-specific PCR and haemoglobin measurement.ResultsA total of 9,094 participants were included and median age was 11.9 years (IQR 5, 28). Overall prevalence of P. falciparum was 16.01 % with marked heterogeneity between sites (4.32–36.75 %) and within villages in each site (1.63–49.13 %). Across all sites, 51.17 % (745/1,456) of infections were asymptomatic and 35.61 % (448/1,258) were sub-microscopic. The odds of P. falciparum infection were higher in older children; 5–15 years (OR = 1.90; 95 % CI 1.60–2.26), adults (OR = 1.48; 95 % CI 1.24–1.78) and participants with moderate anaemia (OR = 1.62; 95 % CI 1.32–1.99).ConclusionsThe current malaria control interventions are not sufficient to interrupt transmission in The Gambia as malaria prevalence is still relatively high in the eastern part of the country. New interventions aiming at interrupting transmission are needed and should be urgently evaluated.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© Mwesigwa et al. 2015