Malaria Journal

Malaria and COVID-19 dual infections can worsen the severity of both diseases and lead to misdiagnosis due to overlapping symptoms. It is reported that SARS-CoV-2 may affect malaria progression through the renin-angiotensin system. A total of 96 participants aged 15 to 64 years were retained and divided into four groups: COVID-19 (28), malaria (28), co-infection (16), and controls (24). Blood and nasopharyngeal samples were tested for both diseases using RDT and RT-PCR. Disease severity markers ...

In Ghana, indoor residual spraying (IRS) has been a key intervention for malaria control since 2008. After seven years of IRS with an organophosphate insecticide, which substantially reduced malaria incidence, IRS programs transitioned to neonicotinoid-based products between 2018 and 2019 as part of an insecticide rotation plan. This change was informed largely by entomological data from limited pilot districts, with little evidence on epidemiological impact. We assessed the effect of this trans...

In late 2019, SARS-CoV-2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2) infection started in Hubei province of China and now it has spread like a wildfire in almost all parts of the world except some. WHO named the disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 as COVID-19 (CoronaVirus Disease-2019). It is very intriguing to see a mild trend of infection in some countries which could be attributed to mitigation efforts, lockdown strategies, health infrastructure, demographics and cultural habits. However, the ...

BACKGROUNDUnderstanding inequality in infectious disease burden requires clear and unbiased indicators. The Gini coefficient, conventionally used as a macroeconomic descriptor of inequality, is potentially useful to quantify epidemiological heterogeneity. With a potential range from 0 (all populations equal) to 1 (populations having maximal differences), this coefficient is used here to show the extent and persistence of inequality of malaria infection burden at a wide variety of population leve...

BackgroundSeasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) is one of the main interventions recommended by WHO to prevent and reduce childhood malaria. Since 2015, Guinea has implemented SMC targeting children aged 3-59 months (CU5) in districts with high and seasonal malaria transmission. ObjectiveWe assessed the programmatic impact of SMC in Guineas context of scaled-up malaria intervention programming by comparing malaria-related outcomes in 14 districts that had (n = 8) or had not (n = 6) been target...

BackgroundInsecticide treated nets (ITNs) represent a key tool in reducing human vector contact for malaria control. However, increasing insecticide resistance of malaria vectors threatens the effectiveness of pyrethroid-only nets in reducing malaria risk. Next- generation nets, such as those with dual active ingredients, have been recommended for use in areas with high malaria burden and confirmed pyrethroid resistance. Here, we assessed the impact of the distribution of Interceptor(R) G2 (IG2)...

BackgroundThe development and spread of drug-resistant parasites continue to threaten the move toward malaria elimination. Therapeutic efficacy and resistant marker studies are needed to guide national control programs. In African settings, evidence of partial resistance to artemisinin combination therapies associated with Kelch13 is accumulating as World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a regular monitoring of first line antimalarial drugs to early detection of resistant parasites. In our s...

BackgroundMalaria during pregnancy contributes to maternal anemia and adverse birth outcomes in sub-Saharan Africa. This study assessed seasonal malaria burden among pregnant women in Cape Coast, Ghana, during 2019-2021. MethodsRetrospective surveillance analysis of pregnant women attending Cape Coast Teaching Hospital. Malaria was diagnosed by microscopy, and hemoglobin levels were measured. Seasonal trends and demographic characteristics were analyzed using descriptive statistics and chi-squa...

BackgroundMalaria incidence has plateaued in Sub-Saharan Africa despite Seasonal Malaria Chemopreventions introduction. Community health workers use a door-to-door delivery strategy to treat children with SMC drugs, but for SMC to be as effective as in clinical trials, coverage must be high over successive seasons. MethodsWe developed and used a microplanning model that utilizes raster to estimate population size, generates optimal households visit itinerary, and quantifies SMC coverage based ...

IntroductionFalciparum is the major contributor to malaria and causes the most lethal disease in humans globally. Although several government-funded interventions exist to help eliminate malaria, the disease persists and continues to afflict Ghanaians of all ages, including children, pregnant mothers, and adults. MethodsThis single-facility retrospective study was carried out at Sunyani Municipal Hospital. Patients malaria records spanning December 2020 and November 2021 were collected, analyze...

The extent to which insecticide-treated nets (ITNs), a key malaria prevention intervention in Sub-Saharan Africa, have been appropriately targeted to those at highest risk remains unknown, particularly within the urban context. We combined household surveys, programmatic ITN distribution data, and procurement cost data to estimate the number and cost of ITNs distributed in urban areas of Sub-Saharan Africa over the period 2010-2021, as well as trends in malaria prevalence and ITN access by wealt...

BackgroundMalaria constitutes a major public health burden in sub-Saharan Africa. It remains a key health concern and the leading cause of death in children under five years of age in Benin. Since October 2021, the World Health Organization has recommended the use of malaria vaccines for the prevention of Plasmodium falciparum malaria in children living in malaria endemic areas, prioritizing areas of moderate and high transmission in sub-Saharan Africa. However, with the exception of Ghana, ther...

BackgroundZanzibar has achieved historic reductions in malaria incidence, but high connectivity to mainland Tanzania and imported cases remain a challenge to "last mile" malaria elimination. MethodsTo understand factors driving malaria importation, we collected travel histories and demographics of malaria cases presenting to 94 health facilities across Zanzibars main island, Unguja, from 2022-2023. We also analyzed population mobility data--self-reported travel at the outbound Dar es Salaam fer...

BackgroundMalaria control through insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) and indoor residual spraying (IRS) is essential in sub-Saharan Africa. This study assesses wealth status and residence-based inequalities in household access to these interventions across 34 African countries. MethodsA cross-sectional analytical design was used, drawing on nationally representative household surveys (Demographic and Health Surveys, Malaria Indicator Surveys, multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys) collected between 2...

BackgroundCOVID-19 (Corona virus Disease-2019) is a new public health emergency and is a pandemic currently. Incidence and mortality of COVID-19 vary in different geographical areas. In this study we aimed to analyse the relationship between malaria transmission and BCG vaccination with COVID-19 incidence in the world map. Materials and methodsWe collected malaria cases data (World Health Organisation (WHO), 2018), worldwide COVID-19 cases and mortality data (European Centre for Disease Prevent...

IntroductionAnaemia is a major cause of morbidity and mortality among children in sub-Saharan Africa. Anaemia has many aetiologies best addressed by different treatments, so regional studies of the aetiology of anaemia may be required. MethodsWe analysed data from Nigerias 2018 Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) to study predictors of anaemia among children ages 6-59m. We computed the fraction of anaemia at different degrees of severity attributable to malaria and sickle cell disease (SCD) usi...

BackgroundMalaria in pregnancy contributes to high maternal mortality, warranting the adoption of intermittent preventive treatment (IPTp) of malaria in pregnancy in Sierra Leone in 2017. Since then, the uptake of IPTp has increased but it is unclear whether COVID-19 has any impact on these services. We aimed to assess the impact of COVID-19 on the uptake of IPTp among pregnant women in Sierra leone at district, regional, and national levels. MethodsA retrospective cross-sectional study design ...

BackgroundMalaria transmission in Uganda is heterogenous, so the national malaria program needs information about the distribution of malaria to develop appropriate policies. While population-based community surveys estimate Plasmodium falciparum parasite rate (PfPR), they are too infrequent and sparse for routine malaria management. Health facility data is routinely collected and covers a large geographic scope, but the data is collected passively, variable in quality, and potentially highly bi...

BackgroundThe epidemiology and severity of non-falciparum malaria in endemic settings has garnered limited attention. We aimed to characterize the prevalence, interaction, clinical risk factors and temporal trends of non-falciparum malaria in endemic settings of Kenya. MethodsWe diagnosed and analyzed infecting malaria species via PCR in 2027 clinical samples collected between 2008 and 2016. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the prevalence and distribution of Plasmodium species. A st...

Nigeria is one of three countries projected to have the largest absolute increase in the size of its urban population and this could intensify malaria transmission in cities. Accelerated urban population growth is out-pacing the availability of affordable housing and basic services and resulting in living conditions that foster vector breeding and heterogeneous malaria transmission. Understanding community determinants of malaria transmission in urban areas informs the targeting of interventions...