Abstract
BackgroundDespite the importance of epidemiological studies in the development of effective control strategies and provision of basic health services for refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs), data on the prevalence of malaria are limited. Thus, this study was conducted to estimate the molecular prevalence of malaria amongst the displaced population in Ardamata IDP camp in Al-Geneina City, Sudan.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted from July 2018 to December 2018 to estimate malaria prevalence amongst the displaced population in Ardamata IDP camp in Al-Geneina City, Sudan. A total of 380 patients with suspected malaria were recruited. Nested polymerase chain reaction (nPCR) assays were performed to detect the Plasmodium genus and species.ResultsOf 380 patients, 232 (61.1%) were positive for malaria. Plasmodium falciparum was the only prevalent species detected amongst the study population. nPCR analysis revealed that none of the samples had Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium ovale or Plasmodium malariae. The malaria prevalence rate was higher amongst males (67.1%) than in females (56.8%), and gender was the only risk factor that was significantly associated with malaria infection (p = .042).ConclusionsDespite control programmes, malaria remains a significant cause of illness amongst a displaced population. The high prevalence of malaria infection in this study indicates that additional health facilities and control strategies should be implemented in displaced camps and the surrounding areas.
Highlights
Despite the importance of epidemiological studies in the development of effective control strategies and provision of basic health services for refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs), data on the prevalence of malaria are limited
According to the World Health Organisation, five Plasmodium species have been recognised as the causative agents of malaria that can infect humans: Plasmodium falciparum (P. falciparum), Plasmodium vivax (P. vivax), Plasmodium ovale (P. ovale), Plasmodium malariae (P. malariae) and Plasmodium knowlesi (P. knowlesi)
polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has been helpful in the differential detection of all malaria parasites up to species levels, thereby revealing the high prevalence of mixed infections [1, 9]
Summary
Despite the importance of epidemiological studies in the development of effective control strategies and provision of basic health services for refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs), data on the prevalence of malaria are limited. Blood film microscopy and rapid diagnostic tests are the mainstay of malaria diagnosis that can adequately detect Plasmodium infections in patients with high levels of parasitaemia [3, 4]. Both methods lack the sensitivity to detect the infection in individuals carrying low parasite density [5, 6]. Several molecular methods have been developed and evaluated for the detection of Plasmodium species, and various sensitivities and specificities have been reported [1]. This study was proposed to determine the molecular prevalence of malaria parasites amongst symptomatic patients in Ardamata IDP camp, Al-Geneina City, Sudan
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