Prevalence, characteristics and risk factors of imported and local malaria cases in North-Western Province, Zambia: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background Imported malaria is a major challenge for countries that are in malaria elimination stage such as Zambia. Legitimate cross-border activities add to the risk of transmission, necessitating determination of prevalence, characteristics and risk factors of imported and local malaria. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted in 103 consented child and adult patients with clinical malaria symptoms, from selected health facilities in north-western Zambia. Patient demographic data and blood samples for malaria microscopy and full blood count were obtained. Chi-square and penalized logistic regression were performed to describe the characteristics and assess the risk factors of imported and local malaria in North-Western Province. Results Overall, malaria prevalence was 78.6% with 93.8% Plasmodium falciparum and 6.2% other species. The local cases were 72 (88.9%) while the imported were 9 (11.1%) out of the 81 positive participants. About 98.6% of the local cases were P. falciparum compared to 55.6% (χ2 = 52.4; p < 0.01) P. falciparum among the imported cases. Among the imported cases, 44% were species other than P. falciparum (χ2 = 48; p < 0.01) while among the local cases only 1.4% were. Gametocytes were present in 44% of the imported malaria cases and only in 2.8% of the local cases (χ2 = 48; p < 0.01). About 48.6% of local participants had severe anaemia compared to 33.3% of participants from the two neighbouring countries who had (χ2 = 4.9; p = 0.03). In the final model, only country of residence related positively to presence of species other than P. falciparum (OR = 39.0, CI [5.9, 445.9]; p < 0.01) and presence of gametocytes (OR = 23.1, CI [4.2, 161.6]; p < 0.01). Conclusion Malaria prevalence in North-Western Province is high, with P. falciparum as the predominant species although importation of Plasmodium ovale and Plasmodium malariae is happening as well. Country of residence of patients is a major risk factor for malaria species and gametocyte presence. The need for enhanced malaria control with specific focus on border controls to detect and treat, for specific diagnosis and treatment according to species obtaining, for further research in the role of species and gametocytaemia in imported malaria, cannot be overemphasized.

Malaria and Typhoid Fever Coinfection among Febrile Patients in Ngaoundéré (Adamawa, Cameroon): A Cross-Sectional Study

“…This result is comparable with those obtained by other authors with the rate of 55.5% and 54.2%, respectively, in Nigeria [6,18]. However, it is less than the reports from Zambia (78.6%) [7] and higher than the reports from Fondenera, Cameroon (10.9%) [14], Calabar, Nigeria (26.7%) [9], and Northern Tanzania (24.2%) [11]. Females were more positive to malaria infection than males (P < 0 05), which is similar to the report of Sangaré et al [10] in Burkina Faso, Odikamnoro et al [18] in Nigeria, and Chilongola et al [11] in Northern Tanzania.…”

“…Typhoid fever prevalence rate in this study was about 64.3%PS. This data is lesser than the reports from Zambia (78.6%) [7] and higher than the reports in Fondenera, Cameroon (7.3%) [14], in Yola, Nigeria (39%) [6], in Calabar, Nigeria (43.3%) [9], and in Northern Tanzania (13.3%) [11]. Females were significantly (P = 0 00) more prevalent (34.1%; N = 77) than males (15.9%; N = 33).…”

“…In severe cases, it can cause yellow skin, seizures, coma, or death [ 1 ]. In the year 2018, WHO estimates that there were about 228 million cases of malaria and 405,000 malaria-related deaths with 93.8% of deaths occurring in sub-Saharan Africa [ 6 , 7 ]. The majority of infections are caused by Plasmodium falciparum species, the most dangerous of the four human malaria parasites [ 7 , 8 ].…”

“…Both diseases, mainly associated with poverty and underdevelopment with significant morbidity and mortality, are common in many countries where the prevailing environmental conditions of warm humid climate, poor sanitary habits, poverty, and ignorance exist [6]. In addition, malaria and typhoid fever coinfection studies have already been carried out in Africa and specifically in Nigeria [6][7][8], Zambia [10], Burkina Faso [11], and Cameroon [12][13][14]. Despite the already existing insufficient information on concurrent malaria and typhoid coinfection in Cameroon, information on this association is still lacking in rural communities of Cameroon.…”

Situasi Malaria Di Kota Lubuklinggau Provinsi Sumatera Selatan Dalam Mencapai Eliminasi Malaria Tahun 2021

“…23 Hal ini tidak sejalan dengan hasil penelitian Maureen yang melaporkan bahwa prevalensi malaria disebabkan oleh P. falciparum sebesar 93,8 % dan 6,2 % disebabkan oleh spesies Plasmodium yang lain. 24 Kondisi dominasi infeksi P. vivax terjadi akibat pengobatan radikal malaria tidak berjalan dengan baik sehingga menimbulkan kambuh jangka panjang yang merupakan ciri khas P. vivax. 25 Infeksi P. vivax dapat mengalami kekambuhan karena adanya fase hipnozoit pada organ hati.…”