Abstract
The epidemiology of malaria, anaemia and malnutrition in children is potentially altered in mining development areas. In a copper extraction project in northwestern Zambia, a health impact assessment (HIA) was commissioned to predict, manage and monitor health impacts. Two cross-sectional surveys were conducted: at baseline prior to project development (2011) and at four years into development (2015). Prevalence of Plasmodium falciparum, anaemia and stunting were assessed in under-five-year-old children, while hookworm infection was assessed in children aged 9–14 years in communities impacted and comparison communities not impacted by the project. P. falciparum prevalence was significantly higher in 2015 compared to 2011 in both impacted and comparison communities (odds ratio (OR) = 2.51 and OR = 6.97, respectively). Stunting was significantly lower in 2015 in impacted communities only (OR = 0.63). Anaemia was slightly lower in 2015 compared to baseline in both impacted and comparison communities. Resettlement due to the project and migration background (i.e., moving into the area within the past five years) were generally associated with better health outcomes in 2015. We conclude that repeated cross-sectional surveys to monitor health in communities impacted by projects should become an integral part of HIA to deepen the understanding of changing patterns of health and support implementation of setting-specific public health measures.
Highlights
Solwezi district in the Northwestern Province of Zambia has traditionally been a rural, sparsely populated area [1]
In 2011, 289 households were sampled from seven sentinel sites, and in 2015, 516 households were sampled from 14 sentinel sites, with a total sample of 483 and 949 children under the age of five years, respectively
Malaria control interventions have been implemented by the project and district health management teams in the impacted sentinel sites, including indoor residual spraying (IRS), distribution of long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs), education and awareness and ‘malaria seek and treat’ [37]
Summary
Solwezi district in the Northwestern Province of Zambia has traditionally been a rural, sparsely populated area [1]. Recent mining developments (i.e., the Kansanshi and Lumwana copper mines) have accelerated in-migration and altered the socioeconomic profile of the district [2,3]. In 2009, the Trident project—a copper mine operated by First Quantum Minerals Limited (FQML)—was launched [4,5]. The mine, which became operational in 2015, is a green field development. Res. Public Health 2017, 14, 315; doi:10.3390/ijerph14030315 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
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