JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND DISEASES
Integrity Research Journals
ISSN: 2705-2214
Model: Open Access/Peer Reviewed
DOI: 10.31248/JPHD
Start Year: 2018
Email: jphd@integrityresjournals.org
Prevalence of Plasmodium falciparum in symptomatic and asymptomatic children in Minna, North Central Nigeria
https://doi.org/10.31248/JPHD2019.027 | Article Number: C15052393 | Vol.2 (1) - April 2019
Received Date: 21 February 2019 | Accepted Date: 28 March 2019 | Published Date: 30 April 2019
Authors: Yamman, U. H.*#, , Omalu, I. C. J.#, , Abubakar, A.#, , Yamman, U. H.*#, Omalu, I. C. J.1#, Abubakar, A.2#, Abolarinwa, S. O.1 and Eke, S. S.
Keywords: Malaria, Fever, parasite density, parasitemia.
The prevalence of Plasmodium falciparum in asymptomatic children and its association with symptomatic malaria cases was assessed in a cohort of children from Minna, Nigeria. A total of 220 children aged 6 months to 17 years were recruited from the community and healthcare facilities. Thick and thin films of the blood samples were prepared and the parasite density was determined using the thick film while the parasite species was identified using thin film. Overall, the prevalence of Plasmodium falciparum was 70% (153/220) out of which 28% (43/153) was observed in apparently healthy children from the community (asymptomatic) and 72% (110/148) from children with fever (symptomatic). The highest parasite prevalence was observed in children 6 to 11 years 30% (22/72) for asymptomatic infection; while symptomatic infection recorded 44% (65/110) from 6 months to 5 years of age. Females tends to show a greater prevalence of Plasmodium falciparum infection with 77% (20/26) and 78% (49/63) for both asymptomatic and symptomatic infections respectively. Parasitemia was, however, not significantly associated with fever (p>0.05). This study confirms that malaria remains a major cause of febrile illness during the early stages of childhood (<5 years). This may however, guide case definition for clinical trials of preventive tools, as well as provide definitions that may improve the precision of measurement of the burden of malaria.
#These authors contributed equally to this work.
| Abdel Hamid, M. M., Mohammed, S. B., & El Hassan, I. M. (2013). Genetic Diversity of Plasmodium falciparum Field Isolates in Central Sudan Inferred by PCR Genotyping of Merozoite Surface Protein 1 and 2. North American Journal of Medical Science, 5(2), 95-101. Crossref |
||||
| Chen, I., Clarke, S. E., Gosling, R., Hamainza, B., Killeen, G., Magill, A., O'Meara, W., Price, R. N., & Riley, E. M. (2016). Asymptomatic" Malaria: A Chronic and Debilitating Infection That Should Be Treated. PLoS Medicine, 13(1), e1001942. Crossref |
||||
| Denise, N. M., Moses, R. K., & Grant, D. (2004). Asymptomatic parasitaemia as a risk factor for symptomatic malaria in a cohort of Ugandan children. Tropical Medicine and International Health, 9(8), 862-868. Crossref |
||||
| Filipe, J. A., Riley, E. M., Drakeley, C. J., Sutherland, C. J., & Ghani, A. C. (2007). Determination of the processes driving the acquisition of immunity to malaria using a mathematical transmission model. PLoS Computational Biology, 3(12), e255. Crossref |
||||
| Kim, A. L., Laura, S., Aaron, S., Patrick, K. S., & Laurence, S. (2014). The silent threat: asymptomatic parasitemia and malaria transmission. Expert Review of Anti-infective Therapy, 11(6), 623-639. | ||||
| Mabunda, S., Aponte, J. J., Tiago, A. & Alonso, P. (2009). A country-wide malaria survey in Mozambique. II. Malaria attributable proportion of fever and establishment of malaria case definition in children across different epidemiological settings. Malaria Journal, 8(74). Crossref |
||||
| Omalu, I. C. J., Mgbemena, C., Mgbemena, A., Ayanwale, V., Olayemi, I. K., Lateef, A., & Victoria I. (2012). Prevalence of congenital malaria in Minna, North Central Nigeria. Journal of Tropical Medicine, 2012(2012), 274142. Crossref |
||||
| Quintero, J. P., Siqueira, A. M., Tobón, A., Blair, S., Moreno, A., Arévalo-Herrera, M., Lacerda, M. V. G., & Valencia, S. H. (2011). Malaria-related anaemia: a Latin American perspective. Memorias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, 106, 91-104. Crossref |
||||
| Riley, E. M., & Stewart, V. A. (2013). Immune mechanisms in malaria: new insights in vaccine development. Nature Medicine, 19(2), 168-78. Crossref |
||||
| Scholzen, A., & Sauerwein, R. W. (2013). How malaria modulates memory: activation and dysregulation of B cells in Plasmodium infection. Trends in Parasitology, 29(5), 252-62. Crossref |
||||
| Starzengruber, P., Fuehrer, H., Ley, B., Thriemer, K., Swoboda, P., Habler, V. E., Jung, M., Graninger, W., Khan, W. A., Haque R., & Noed, H. (2014). High prevalence of asymptomatic malaria in south-eastern Bangladesh. Malaria Journal, Malaria journal, 13(1), 16. Crossref |
||||
| Sumbele, I. U. N., Sama, S. D., Kimbi, H. K., & Taiwe, G. S. (2016). Malaria, moderate to severe anaemia, and malarial anaemia in children at presentation to hospital in the Mount Cameroon Area: A cross-sectional study. Anaemia, vol. 2016, Article ID 5725634, 12p. Crossref |
||||
| Trape, J. F. (1985). Rapid evaluation of malaria parasite density and standardization of thick smear examination for epidemiological investigations. Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 79(2), 181-184. Crossref |
||||
| Warrell, D. A., Molyneux, M. E., & Beales, P. F. (1990). Severe and complicated malaria. Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 84, 1-65. Crossref |
||||
| White, N. J. (2008). The role of anti-malarial drugs in eliminating malaria. Malaria Journal, 7(1), S8. Crossref |
||||
| WHO (1996). Assessment of Therapeutic Efficacy of Antimalarial Drugs for Uncomplicated falciparum Malaria in Areas with Intense Transmission. World Health Organization, Geneva. | ||||
| WHO (2010). Guidelines for the treatment of malaria (2nd ed.). Geneva: World Health Organization. p. ix. ISBN 9789241547925. | ||||
| WHO (2017). Key points: World malaria report 2017. | ||||
Copyright © 2025 Integrity Research Journals. All rights reserved.