<it>Plasmodium </it>infection and its risk factors in eastern Uganda
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Malaria is a leading cause of disease burden in Uganda, although surprisingly few contemporary, age-stratified data exist on malaria epidemiology in the country. This report presents results from a total population survey of malaria...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2010-01-01
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| Series: | Malaria Journal |
| Online Access: | http://www.malariajournal.com/content/9/1/2 |
| _version_ | 1830349770363764736 |
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| author | Snow Robert W Staedke Sarah G Bukirwa Hasifa Pullan Rachel L Brooker Simon |
| author_facet | Snow Robert W Staedke Sarah G Bukirwa Hasifa Pullan Rachel L Brooker Simon |
| author_sort | Snow Robert W |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Malaria is a leading cause of disease burden in Uganda, although surprisingly few contemporary, age-stratified data exist on malaria epidemiology in the country. This report presents results from a total population survey of malaria infection and intervention coverage in a rural area of eastern Uganda, with a specific focus on how risk factors differ between demographic groups in this population.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In 2008, a cross-sectional survey was conducted in four contiguous villages in Mulanda, sub-county in Tororo district, eastern Uganda, to investigate the epidemiology and risk factors of <it>Plasmodium </it>species infection. All permanent residents were invited to participate, with blood smears collected from 1,844 individuals aged between six months and 88 years (representing 78% of the population). Demographic, household and socio-economic characteristics were combined with environmental data using a Geographical Information System. Hierarchical models were used to explore patterns of malaria infection and identify individual, household and environmental risk factors.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Overall, 709 individuals were infected with <it>Plasmodium</it>, with prevalence highest among 5-9 year olds (63.5%). Thin films from a random sample of 20% of parasite positive participants showed that 94.0% of infections were <it>Plasmodium falciparum </it>and 6.0% were <it>P. malariae</it>; no other species or mixed infections were seen. In total, 68% of households owned at least one mosquito although only 27% of school-aged children reported sleeping under a net the previous night. In multivariate analysis, infection risk was highest amongst children aged 5-9 years and remained high in older children. Risk of infection was lower for those that reported sleeping under a bed net the previous night and living more than 750 m from a rice-growing area. After accounting for clustering within compounds, there was no evidence for an association between infection prevalence and socio-economic status, and no evidence for spatial clustering.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These findings demonstrate that mosquito net usage remains inadequate and is strongly associated with risk of malaria among school-aged children. Infection risk amongst adults is influenced by proximity to potential mosquito breeding grounds. Taken together, these findings emphasize the importance of increasing net coverage, especially among school-aged children.</p> |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-20T00:09:37Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3803a82e8a8947069564ebe8a3172e8f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1475-2875 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-20T00:09:37Z |
| publishDate | 2010-01-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Malaria Journal |
| spelling | doaj.art-3803a82e8a8947069564ebe8a3172e8f2022-12-21T20:00:32ZengBMCMalaria Journal1475-28752010-01-0191210.1186/1475-2875-9-2<it>Plasmodium </it>infection and its risk factors in eastern UgandaSnow Robert WStaedke Sarah GBukirwa HasifaPullan Rachel LBrooker Simon<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Malaria is a leading cause of disease burden in Uganda, although surprisingly few contemporary, age-stratified data exist on malaria epidemiology in the country. This report presents results from a total population survey of malaria infection and intervention coverage in a rural area of eastern Uganda, with a specific focus on how risk factors differ between demographic groups in this population.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In 2008, a cross-sectional survey was conducted in four contiguous villages in Mulanda, sub-county in Tororo district, eastern Uganda, to investigate the epidemiology and risk factors of <it>Plasmodium </it>species infection. All permanent residents were invited to participate, with blood smears collected from 1,844 individuals aged between six months and 88 years (representing 78% of the population). Demographic, household and socio-economic characteristics were combined with environmental data using a Geographical Information System. Hierarchical models were used to explore patterns of malaria infection and identify individual, household and environmental risk factors.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Overall, 709 individuals were infected with <it>Plasmodium</it>, with prevalence highest among 5-9 year olds (63.5%). Thin films from a random sample of 20% of parasite positive participants showed that 94.0% of infections were <it>Plasmodium falciparum </it>and 6.0% were <it>P. malariae</it>; no other species or mixed infections were seen. In total, 68% of households owned at least one mosquito although only 27% of school-aged children reported sleeping under a net the previous night. In multivariate analysis, infection risk was highest amongst children aged 5-9 years and remained high in older children. Risk of infection was lower for those that reported sleeping under a bed net the previous night and living more than 750 m from a rice-growing area. After accounting for clustering within compounds, there was no evidence for an association between infection prevalence and socio-economic status, and no evidence for spatial clustering.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These findings demonstrate that mosquito net usage remains inadequate and is strongly associated with risk of malaria among school-aged children. Infection risk amongst adults is influenced by proximity to potential mosquito breeding grounds. Taken together, these findings emphasize the importance of increasing net coverage, especially among school-aged children.</p>http://www.malariajournal.com/content/9/1/2 |
| spellingShingle | Snow Robert W Staedke Sarah G Bukirwa Hasifa Pullan Rachel L Brooker Simon <it>Plasmodium </it>infection and its risk factors in eastern Uganda Malaria Journal |
| title | <it>Plasmodium </it>infection and its risk factors in eastern Uganda |
| title_full | <it>Plasmodium </it>infection and its risk factors in eastern Uganda |
| title_fullStr | <it>Plasmodium </it>infection and its risk factors in eastern Uganda |
| title_full_unstemmed | <it>Plasmodium </it>infection and its risk factors in eastern Uganda |
| title_short | <it>Plasmodium </it>infection and its risk factors in eastern Uganda |
| title_sort | it plasmodium it infection and its risk factors in eastern uganda |
| url | http://www.malariajournal.com/content/9/1/2 |
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