Abstract
BackgroundThe prevalence of malaria parasites in adults in Africa is less well researched than in children. Therefore, a demographic surveillance site was used to conduct a household survey of adults in the malaria endemic area of Maseno division in Kisumu County near Lake Victoria.MethodsA random survey of 1,190 adults living in a demographic health surveillance site in a malaria endemic area of 70,805 population size was conducted, measuring presence of malaria parasites by slide microscopy. Data were analysed using STATA to calculate the prevalence of malaria and associated risk factors.ResultsThe adult prevalence of presence of malaria parasites in Maseno was 28% (95% CI: 25.4–31.0%). Gender was a significant sociodemographic risk factor in both univariate (OR 1.5, p = 0.005) and multivariate (OR 1.4, p = 0.019) analyses. Females were 50% more likely to have malaria than men.ConclusionsPresence of malaria parasites is common in the adult population of this endemic area, and the rate is greatly increased in women. The presence of such an adult pool of malaria parasites represents a key reservoir factor in transmission of parasites to children, and is relevant for plans to eradicate malaria.
Highlights
The prevalence of malaria parasites in adults in Africa is less well researched than in children
This paper reports the prevalence of the presence of malaria parasites in a random household sample of adults aged 18 and above in Maseno division of Kisumu county western Kenya in 2012/2013, and its relationship to key socio-demographic variables
The HIV prevalence is higher in women so this may contribute to the higher prevalence of malaria that we found in women, because HIV is known to cause loss of immunity and adults who have HIV are more likely to have malaria than those who do not have HIV [18, 19]
Summary
The prevalence of malaria parasites in adults in Africa is less well researched than in children. Malaria causes around 627,000 deaths in 2013, mostly of children aged under 5 years living in Africa [1]. In Kenya, there have been two national malaria indicator surveys recently, in 2007 and 2010. The adult population acquire partial immunity, the risk of death is higher in children and pregnant women, and malaria indicator surveys tend to focus on children [1]. The recent Kenya malaria indicator surveys of 2007 [8] and 2010 [9] have focussed on children aged 6 months to 5 years, and Jenkins et al Malar J (2015) 14:263
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