Malaria in indigenous and non-indigenous patients aged under 15 years between 2007-2018, Amazonas state, Brazil

Abstract

Background: Malaria is a serious problem in children because the immune system is less developed, thus, causing more severe symptoms. This study aimed to identify factors associated with malaria in indigenous and non-indigenous patients aged under 15 years in Amazonas, Brazil, from 2007 to 2018.Methods: An epidemiological, quantitative, cross-sectional study was conducted. Cases included patients aged under 15 years, using data from health system notifications between 2007 and 2018 in the state of Amazonas, Brazil. The variables included clinical-epidemiological, laboratory findings, and monitoring of cases. The outcome was ethnicity: indigenous, non-indigenous, and entries for which no ethnicity data were provided. A multivariable logistic regression model was used to compare the indigenous and non-indigenous populations.Results: Among malaria cases in patients aged under 15 years, there was a greater chance of being indigenous and having the following associated factors: female sex, children aged 0-4 years, passive case surveillance, a high load of parasitemia and the lack of data regarding the level of parasitemia, Plasmodium falciparum infections were more frequent, and timeliness of treatment, i.e., the interval between the onset of symptoms and time of treatment was within 48 hours. Conclusions:The factors associated with malaria are more frequent in indigenous populations and highlight differences according to ethnicity, suggesting that the severity of the disease is attributable to the increased number of malarial infections within this population. As a result, malaria has a greater impact on the health of indigenous people.

Prevalencia y factores de riesgos de Malaria en pacientes febriles del Distrito 22D03 Aguarico-Salud Aguarico, 2022

“…Los factores de riesgos de malaria en el cantón Aguarico afectan especialmente a varones indígenas que viven en zonas rurales debido al contacto con personas infectadas, el no uso de toldo, hacinamiento y presencia de agua estancada cerca de las viviendas. Estos hallazgos guardan relación con lo encontrado en estudios de (Meireles et al, 2020) y (Aguiar et al, 2022) y (Caldas et al, 2023), quienes destacan la gravedad de la malaria en hombres indígenas de zonas rurales. De manera similar, otros estudios efectuados por (Workineh et al, 2021), (Duguma et al, 2022), (Padrón Echenique et al, 2021), (Cardona-Arias et al, 2019, (Woday et al, 2019), también confirman que el contacto con infectados, la falta de uso de mosquiteros, la presencia de agua estancada cerca de los hogares y el hacinamiento aumentan el riesgo de contraer malaria.…”

Temporal Analysis of Malaria Cases in the Brazilian Yanomami Pediatric Population: A Retrospective Ecologic Study From 2003 to 2022

“…Although it is challenging to pinpoint the exact transmission sites of the disease, it has been suggested that children are more susceptible to mosquito bites at night while sleeping or during daily activities. 8 Nevertheless, the favorable environment for Anopheles species mosquitoes reproduction and dissemination in water reservoirs left in the mines increases the risk of infection among miners. 4…”

Malaria in areas under mining activity in the Amazon: A review

“…Moreover, more than 1,600 cases have been reported in children under one year of age in the Amazon region, based on the probable location of infection. Cases in this age group are particularly associated with recurring episodes of malaria and increased clinical severity 56 , which can have a significant impact on the health and cognitive development of affected children, as well as the well-being of the community. Indigenous communities also suffer from other health problems, such as respiratory diseases, malnutrition due to mercury contamination of water/food, neurological diseases related to mercury poisoning, and violence, especially in the Yanomami indigenous territory 33 , the largest in Brazil, where the third largest area of illegal mining in indigenous lands is located 28 .…”