
According to a recent study published in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Dagmawi Chilot of the University of Gondar, Ethiopia, and colleagues, nearly three out of ten children in 13 Sub-Saharan African countries are infected with malaria. The most vulnerable children are those over five years old who live in rural areas and come from large families with low incomes.
Although malaria is preventable and curable, it remains a major public health problem affecting almost half of the world’s population. Africa accounts for 95% of malaria cases and 96% of malaria deaths, with infants and children being the most affected.
In this study, the researchers analyzed data from the Malaria Indicators Survey, which was conducted in 13 Sub-Saharan African countries: Burkina Faso, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Mali, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Senegal, and Tanzania between 2015 and 2021. The survey included interviews with 74,976 parents/guardians, and data on 60,541 children aged 6 to 59 months were included in the study.
The study found that the overall prevalence of malaria among children was 27.41% (95% CI 17.94-36.88%), with rates ranging from 5.04% in Senegal to 62.57% in Sierra Leone. The odds of infection increased with age, and children from the richest households (AOR=0.16, 95% CI 0.14-0.19), those whose mothers attended primary education (AOR=0.78, 95% CI 0.73-0.84), those who had improved housing, and those from communities with high use of insecticide-treated bed nets (AOR=0.40, 95% CI 0.24-0.63) were less likely to be infected with malaria. Conversely, children from large families (AOR=1.35, 95% CI 1.26-1.45), who lived in rural areas (AOR=2.16, 95% CI 2.06-2.27), and with high community poverty (AOR=2.66, 95% CI 2.53 – 2.84) were most likely to be infected with malaria.
The authors suggest that giving insecticide-treated bed nets and improved housing could be effective in preventing malaria among children. They recommend that distributing these nets should prioritize households in rural areas and those with low income.
Image Credits
In-Article Image Credits
Closeup of a Anopheles stephensi mosquito biting a human via Wikimedia Commons by Jim Gattany - CDC with usage type - Public Domain. 2004 - CDCMalaria parasite attaching to a human red blood cell via Wikimedia Commons by NIAID with usage type - Creative Commons License. April 6, 2017
Infographic showing the life cycle of the Malaria parasite via Wikimedia Commons by National Institutes of Health with usage type - Public Domain. May 20, 2009 - NIH
Featured Image Credit
Closeup of a Anopheles stephensi mosquito biting a human via Wikimedia Commons by Jim Gattany - CDC with usage type - Public Domain. 2004 - CDC