Abstract
BackgroundChildhood fever is the most common clinical sign of Plasmodium falciparum infection. It is used as a measure of burden of the disease and the effectiveness of control programs for malaria. This study aimed to determine the incidence of fever in under-5 children of Magoye and Chivuna rural areas of Mazabuka district, Zambia.MethodsIncidence of fever was evaluated longitudinally over a period of 16 months (July 2006 and November 2007) among children aged 12–59 months in Magoye and Chivuna rural communities. The data was collected for a study on community directed treatment of soil-transmitted helminth infections in under-five children. Data from caretakers of 1221 children were collected using a structured interviewer-administered questionnaire. Cox proportion hazard regression was used to determine predictors of multiple episodes of fever and Kaplan-Meier survival curves was used to compare survival between two groups.ResultsA total of 1221 under-5 children [median age 32 months; IQR 12–58] participated in the study and 696 (57 %) were from Magoye and 525 (43 %) from Chivuna. The incidence rate of fever was 162.4 per month per 1000 children for the 16 months period. The proportion of fever was not statistically related to children’ age [p = 0.779] and sex [p = 0.546]. Predictors of multiple episodes of fever were: age (37–48 vs. 12–24 months) [HR 0.81; 95 % CI 0.67, 0.98; p = 0.030]; location (Chivuna vs. Magoye) [HR 1.35; 95 % CI 1.17, 1.56; p < 0.001]; and season (dry vs. rainy) [HR 0.17; 95 % CI 0.12, 0.23; p < 0.001].ConclusionThe study has shown that the incidence of fever was high in the study areas. Febrile illnesses like malaria still have a significant effect on the health of under-5 children in the study population. There still exists the need for interventions aimed at reducing the incidence of fever in under five children, more especially in rural areas.
Highlights
Childhood fever is the most common clinical sign of Plasmodium falciparum infection
Study design and population This longitudinal study determined the incidence of fever in under-5 children of Chivuna and Magoye rural communities in Mazabuka district, Zambia
The incidence of fever in under-five children in some rural parts of Zambia was still a huge challenge as it was revealed by this study
Summary
Childhood fever is the most common clinical sign of Plasmodium falciparum infection It is used as a measure of burden of the disease and the effectiveness of control programs for malaria. From the year 2000, more than half of the countries that had ongoing malaria transmission have recorded decreases in the incidence of confirmed and reported cases of malaria. This was because of the scale-up of malaria interventions between 2000 and 2013, which led to the reduction of the incidence rates of the disease by 30 % globally, and by 34 % in Africa [8]. There is an estimated decrease of malaria incidence by 2015 of 56 and 63 % in all age groups and children under-5 years of age respectively if the annual rates of decrease is maintained [10]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
