Prevalence and determinants of malaria infection among children of local farmers in Central Malawi
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Malaria Journal Open Access
RESEARCH
Prevalence and determinants of malaria infection among children of local farmers in Central Malawi Emmanuel Chilanga1,2* , Delphine Collin‑Vézina2, Heather MacIntosh2, Claudia Mitchell3 and Katrina Cherney2
Abstract Background: Malaria is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among children under 5 years in Malawi, and especially among those from rural areas of central Malawi. The goal of this study was to examine the prevalence and determinants of malaria infection among children in rural areas of Dowa district in central Malawi. Methods: A multistage, cross-sectional study design was used to systematically sample 523 child-mother dyads from postnatal clinics. A survey was administered to mothers and a rapid malaria infection diagnostic test was administered to children. The main outcome was positive malaria diagnostic tests in children. Logistic regressions were used to determine risk factors associated with malaria among children aged 2 to 59 months. Results: The prevalence of malaria among children under 5 years was 35.4%. Results suggest that children of moth‑ ers who experienced recent intimate partner violence (IPV) were more likely to be diagnosed with malaria (AOR: 1.88, 95% CI 1.19–2.97; P = 0.007) than children of mothers who did not. Children of mothers who had no formal education were more likely to be diagnosed with malaria (AOR: 2.77, 95% CI 1.24–6.19; P = 0.013) than children of mothers who had received secondary education. Children aged 2 to 5 months and 6 to 11 months were less likely to be diagnosed with malaria (AOR: 0.21, 95% CI 0.10–0.46; P = 0.000 and AOR: 0.43; 95% CI 0.22–0.85; P = 0.016, respectively) than children aged 24 to 59 months. Conclusion: The prevalence of malaria infection among children in the study area was comparable to the national level. In addition to available malaria control programmes, further attention should be paid to children whose moth‑ ers have no formal education, children aged 24 to 59 months, and children of mothers that are exposed to IPV in the area. Keywords: Malaria infection, Prevalence, Risk factors, Children under five, Rural Malawi Background Malaria is a mosquito-borne disease that kills a significant number of people in Africa every year [1]. The pathology is mainly caused by the Plasmodium falciparum parasite and is transmitted to human beings through female Anopheles mosquito bites [2]. In 2017, 61% of cases of malaria worldwide were in children under the *Correspondence: [email protected] 1 University of Livingstonia, Livingstonia, Malawi Full list of author information is available at the end of the article
age of 5 years. Geographically, approximately 92% (200 million) of malaria cases in the world were diagnosed in Africa, claiming about 404,550 lives [1]. In Malawi, malaria is among the three most significant public health issues. Nearly 4 million people are diagnosed with the infection every year [3]. Malawi accounts for 2% of malaria cases worldwide and is among the top 15 countries with
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