Abstract
Malaria is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of malaria among long distance truck drivers in the Niger Delta of Nigeria. A total of one hundred consecutively recruited long distance truck drivers aged 21-60 years, with a mean age of 42.36 ± 5.23 years were screened for the presence of malaria parasitaemia. Out of the 100 truck drivers screened, 35 (35%) were positive for malaria while 65 (65%) were negative. Plasmodium falciparum was responsible for all cases of malaria infection. The highest prevalence of malaria occurred among drivers in the 51-60 years age group (40.5%). The mean and standard deviation (SD) of parasite load was 1 020 (125) parasites/ìl in subjects positive for malaria. The mean CD4 count was significantly higher among non-parasitized truck drivers compared to P. falciparum parasitized drivers 820 ± 42.0 (731-902 cells/ µl) and 570 ± 30.0 (510-630 cells/ µl) respectively (chi square = 74.00; p = 0.03). We observed a significant negative correlation between plasmodial infection and CD4 lymphocyte count among Plasmodium falciparum-infected subjects with r = - 0.56 (p= 0.001). Preventative strategies including regular chemoprophylaxis, intermittent preventive treatment with antimalarials and provision of insecticide-treated bed nets should be implemented.
Highlights
Malaria poses an enormous public health burden and greater than 75% of the global clinical episodes of malaria infection each year are concentrated in Africa
Malaria is a life-threatening disease caused by the Plasmodium parasite, which is transmitted to people through the bites of infected mosquitoes
According to latest estimates from the World Health Organization (WHO), in 2009, there were 225 million cases of malaria and an estimated 781, 000 deaths worldwide. Most of these deaths occur among children living in the WHO African Region[1]
Summary
Malaria poses an enormous public health burden and greater than 75% of the global clinical episodes of malaria infection each year are concentrated in Africa. According to latest estimates from the World Health Organization (WHO), in 2009, there were 225 million cases of malaria and an estimated 781, 000 deaths worldwide. Most of these deaths occur among children living in the WHO African Region (mainly sub-Saharan Africa)[1]. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of malaria among long distance truck drivers in the Niger Delta of Nigeria. Methods: A total of one hundred consecutively recruited long distance truck drivers aged 21-60 years, with a mean age of 42.36 ± 5.23 years were screened for the presence of malaria parasitaemia.
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