TY - JOUR
T1 - Unusually High Prevalence of Malaria Infection in a Tertiary Institution Setting in South-Western Nigeria
AU - Ajibade Ako-Nai, Kwashie AU - Adesiyan, Modupe
JO - International Journal of Tropical Medicine
VL - 7
IS - 4
SP - 121
EP - 129
PY - 2012
DA - 2001/08/19
SN - 1816-3319
DO - ijtmed.2012.121.129
UR - https://makhillpublications.co/view-article.php?doi=ijtmed.2012.121.129
KW - Prevalence rate
KW -malaria
KW -Plasmodium species
KW -artesunate
KW -sulfadoxine/pyrimethamine
KW -resistance
AB - The study determined the prevalence of malaria in Obafemi
Awolowo University community, factors that predispose them to malaria and the
rate of drug resistance among subjects in a tertiary institution setting in
Ile-Ife, South-Western Nigeria. Blood samples obtained from 316 subjects with
febrile condition were screened for malarial parasites using thick and thin
films blood smear and thereafter stained with Giemsa and Leishman stains. Microscopy
of each slide was also done to determine the degree of parasitemia and types
of Plasmodium species. Well structured questionnaires were administered
to all subjects. In addition, case files of subjects were examined and reviewed
to determine case series of spontaneous report of treatment failures. Subjects
were followed-up for 28 days. Treatment outcome was measured by clinical and
parasitological recovery after taking the prescribed drug (artesunate + sulfadoxine/pyrimethamine)
combination. The subjects age
range was between 1-63 years mean age of 27.09 (SD = 15.3). The overall prevalence
of detection of malaria parasite in the study population was 98.4%. Prevalence
rate of malaria in both sexes was insignificant 50.2% in female and 49.8% in
male. The prevalence of malaria was highest at age range 16-25 years (54.6%).
Symptoms of malaria observed in subjects screened besides fever were headache
(68.7%), body pain (40.8%), chills (20%) and vomiting (21.5%). The symptoms
resolved proportionally with time and chills and vomiting completely resolved
by day 6 in all the subjects and there was total remission of body pain by day
14. Different Plasmodium species namely Plasmodium falciparum,
Plasmodium malariae and Plasmodium ovale were observed in the
blood samples of the subjects screened. Plasmodium falciparum accounted
for the highest prevalence (82.3%) and predominated in the blood samples obtained
from children <5 years. Mixed infection with P. falciparum
and P. ovale (10.6%), Plasmodium malariae (5.2%) and Plasmodium
ovale (1.9%) were prominent in blood samples of adults >15 years of age
subjects. Eighty-six subjects fulfilled the follow up criteria as follows: 67.4%
(n = 58) of subjects had Adequate Clinical and Parasitological Response (ACPR)
of 14-28 days after taking artesunate and antimal (sulfadoxine/pyrimethamine)
while treatment failure occurred in 32.6% (n = 22) of subjects. The 7% (n =
6) of the total treatment failure recorded in this study was classified as resistance
to the drug used since they returned 4-7 days after treatment with fever and
presence of parasitaemia in their blood which indicated Early Treatment Failure
(ETF). The remaining 25.6% returned between 7-28 days suggesting recrudescence
or re-infection. The high rate of artesunate + sulfadoxine/ pyrimethamine resistance
(32.6%) recorded in this study suggests its in-effectiveness in the treatment
of uncomplicated malaria infection which is of epidemiological importance in
the management of malaria in this community.
ER -