Malaria Prone Areas Research Articles

Subnational mapping of anaemia and aetiologic factors in the West and Central African region.

Despite bold commitments to reduce anaemia, little change in prevalence was observed over the past decade. We aimed to generate subnational maps of anaemia among women of reproductive age (WRA), malaria transmission and hemoglobinopathies to identify priority areas but also explore their geographical overlap. Using the most recent Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), we first mapped anaemia clusters across sub-Saharan Africa and identified the West and Central Africa (WCA) as a major cluster. Geographic clusters with high anaemia and related aetiologic factors were identified using spatial statistics. Multilevel regression models were run to identify factors associated with any, moderate and severe anaemia. West and Central African countries (n 17). WRA (n 112 024) residing in seventeen WCA countries. There was a significant overlap in geographical clusters of anaemia, malaria and hemoglobinopathies, particularly in the coastal areas of the WCA region. Low birth interval (0·86 (0·77, 0·97)), number of childbirth (1·12 (1·02, 1·23)) and being in the 15-19 age range (1·47 (1·09, 1·98)) were associated with increased odds of any anaemia. Unimproved toilet facility and open defecation were associated with any anaemia, whereas the use of unclean cooking fuel was associated with moderate/severe anaemia (P < 0·05). Access to healthcare facility, living in malaria-prone areas and hemoglobinopathies (HbC and HbS) were all associated with any, moderate or severe anaemia. Interlinkages between infection, hemoglobinopathies and nutritional deficiencies complicate the aetiology of anaemia in the WCA region. Without renewed efforts to integrate activities and align various sectors in the prevention of anaemia, progress is likely to remain elusive.

Assessment of household insecticide-treated bed net ownership, utilization, and associated factors in Kersa Woreda, Jimma Zone, Southwest Ethiopia

BackgroundAn estimated 40% of the world’s population lives in malaria-prone areas, there are 300–500 million malaria episodes worldwide, and at least one million malaria fatalities occur each year which makes malaria is a major public health concern [1]. In sub-Saharan Africa, malaria claims the lives of about 90% of all people worldwide. Today, there is a growing interest in using ITNs as one of the leading strategies for the prevention and control of malaria. Many studies on ITN use and associated factors have shown that factors influencing ITN use differ from place to place, with very few similarities; specifically, there are no studies conducted in the study area on ITN ownership, utilization, or associated factors.MethodsA community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from April 2023 to June 2023. A multistage sampling technique was employed to recruit the study participants. From twenty Malaria kebeles, six kebeles were selected by the lottery method, and study households were selected by the systematic random sample technique. A total of 770 planned sample sizes were calculated by using a single population formula. A trained data collector was used to collect the data, and the data entry and analysis were performed with SPSS 27.0. Simple frequency distribution and descriptive analyses were performed to describe participants’ sociodemographic, ownership, and utilization. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed to determine associations between dependent and independent variables, with a p-value < 0.05 indicating statistical significance.ResultsData were collected from a total of 766 study participants, for a response rate of 99.5%. The majority (89%) of the respondents had at least one ITN, and 83.5% of the households reported sleeping under the ITN the night preceding the survey. Knowledge about ITN as a preventive agent for malaria [AOR 2.028, 95% CI: 1.010, 4.070], the presence of pregnant mothers in the household [AOR 4.373, 95% CI: 1.70, 11.203], willingness to buy ITN [AOR 2.106, 95% CI: 1.330, 3.335] and home visited by health extension workers [AOR 2.002, 95% CI: 1.228, 4.540] were identified as factors associated with ITN utilization by households.ConclusionITN ownership and utilization were 89% and 83.5%, respectively. Knowledge about the use of the ITN for preventing malaria, the presence of pregnant mothers in the household, willingness to buy the ITN, and home visits by HEW were identified as factors associated with ITN utilization. The ITN distribution for malaria cases and the mechanism for accessing the ITN in the market need to be considered by health authorities. Continuing to apply IEC/BCC interventions to increase the knowledge of the community on the ITN and of home visits and support the proper utilization of the ITN is highly important.

Hesitancy towards R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine among Ghanaian parents and attitudes towards immunizing non-eligible children: a cross-sectional survey

BackgroundThe newly developed malaria vaccine called “R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine” showed a high safety and efficacy level, and Ghana is the first country to approve this new vaccine. The present study aimed to evaluate the rate of vaccine hesitancy (VH) towards the newly developed malaria vaccine among parents who currently have children who are not eligible for the vaccine but may be eligible in the near future. Additionally, the study aimed to identify the factors that could potentially influence VH.MethodsA cross-sectional survey using both online-based questionnaires and face-to-face interviews was conducted in Ghana from June to August 2023. The survey specifically targeted parents of ineligible children for vaccination, including those aged less than 5 months or between 3 and 12 years. The Parent Attitudes about Childhood Vaccination (PACV) scale was used to assess parental VH.ResultsA total of 765 people participated in this study. Their median age was 36.0 years with an interquartile range of 31.0–41.0 years, 67.7% were females, 41.8% completed their tertiary education, 63.3% were married, 81.6% worked in non-healthcare sectors, and 59.7% reported that their monthly income was insufficient. About one-third (34.5%) of the parents were hesitant to give their children the R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine. The following predictors were associated with VH: working in the healthcare sector (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 0.50; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.30–0.80; p = 0.005), having the other parent working in the healthcare sector (AOR = 0.54; 95% CI 0.30–0.94; p = 0.034), and not taking scheduled routine vaccinations (AOR = 1.90; 95% CI 1.27–2.84; p = 0.002).ConclusionsAddressing VH is crucial for optimizing R21/Matrix-M vaccine coverage in Ghana's malaria control strategy. By tackling VH issues, Ghana can effectively safeguard children's health in malaria-prone areas.

Evaluation of a financial incentive intervention on malaria prevalence among the residents in Lake Victoria basin, Kenya: study protocol for a cluster-randomized controlled trial

BackgroundIn the Lake Victoria basin of western Kenya, malaria remains highly endemic despite high coverage of interventions such as mass distribution of long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLIN), indoor residual spraying (IRS) programs, and improvement of availability and accessibility of rapid diagnostic tests (RDT) and artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) at community healthcare facilities. We hypothesize that one major cause of the residual transmission is the lack of motivation among residents for malaria prevention and early treatment.MethodsThis study will aim to develop a demand-side policy tool to encourage local residents’ active malaria prevention and early treatment-seeking behaviors. We examine the causal impact of a financial incentive intervention complemented with malaria education to residents in malaria-prone areas. A cluster-randomized controlled trial is designed to assess the effect of the financial incentive intervention on reducing malaria prevalence in residents of Suba South in Homa Bay County, Kenya. The intervention includes two components. The first component is the introduction of a financial incentive scheme tied to negative RDT results for malaria infection among the target population. This study is an attempt to promote behavioral changes in the residents by providing them with monetary incentives. The project has two different forms of incentive schemes. One is a conditional cash transfer (CCT) that offers a small reward (200 Ksh) for non-infected subjects during the follow-up survey, and the other is a lottery incentive scheme (LIS) that gives a lottery with a 10% chance of winning a large reward (2000 Ksh) instead of the small reward. The second component is a knowledge enhancement with animated tablet-based malaria educational material (EDU) developed by the research team. It complements the incentive scheme by providing the appropriate knowledge to the residents for malaria elimination. We evaluate the intervention’s impact on the residents’ malaria prevalence using a cluster-randomized control trial.DiscussionA policy tool to encourage active malaria prevention and early treatment to residents in Suba South, examined in this trial, may benefit other malaria-endemic counties and be incorporated as part of Kenya’s national malaria elimination strategy.Trial registrationUMIN000047728. Registered on 29th July 2022.

Geo-environmental factors and the effectiveness of mulberry leaf extract in managing malaria

Malaria prevalence has become medically important and a socioeconomic impediment for the endemic regions, including Purulia, West Bengal. Geo-environmental variables, humidity, altitude, and land use patterns are responsible for malaria. For surveillance of the endemic nature of Purulia’s blocks, statistical and spatiotemporal factors analysis have been done here. Also, a novel approach for the Pf malaria treatment using methanolic leaf extract of Morus alba S1 has significantly reduced the parasite load. The EC50 value (1.852) of the methanolic extract of M. alba S1 with P. falciparum 3D7 strain is close to the EC50 value (0.998) of the standard drug chloroquine with the same chloroquine-sensitive strain. Further studies with an in-silico model have shown successful interaction between DHFR and the phytochemicals. Both 1-octadecyne and oxirane interacted favourably, which was depicted through GC–MS analysis. The predicted binary logistic regression model will help the policy makers for epidemiological surveillance in malaria-prone areas worldwide when substantial climate variables create a circumstance favourable for malaria. From the in vitro and in silico studies, it can be concluded that the methanolic extract of M. alba S1 leaves were proven to have promising antiplasmodial activity. Thus, there is a scope for policy-driven approach for discovering and developing these lead compounds and undermining the rising resistance to the frontline anti-malarial drugs in the world.

Ayurvedic Approach to Sickle Cell Disease WSR to Sannipatika Pandu: An Overview

Background: Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) is a genetic life-long blood disorder characterized by RBCs that assume an abnormal, rigid, sickle shape – sickling decreases the flexibility and results of the cell in a risk of various complications. The Valine amino acid is replaced by the Glutamic acid in the 6th position of the 11th chromosome of the Beta chain of the hemoglobin inside the RBCs. Due to that, the haemoglobin concentration of individuals is not maintained properly and there is a chance of multiple infections in seasonal variation. SCD can be compared with Sannipatika or Sahaja (hereditary) Pandu Vyadhi in Ayurveda, to understand the Ayurvedic perspective of SCD and all the related pathophysiology of Rakta Dhatu i. e. its Utpatti, Hetu, Lakshana, Samprapti, Chikitsa Siddhant, etc are taken into consideration in this context. SCD occurs more com-monly in people belonging to tropical &amp; subtropical regions in malaria-prone areas. According to Ayurveda Beeja-Dushti play a major role in its pathogenesis. Aim: To establish a correlation between Sickle Cell Disease and Pandu Vyadhi. Material and Method: A comparison of literary materials from Ayurvedic classics specially Charak and Sushruta Samhita, in relation to modern texts and their available commentary as well as different webs. Discussion: The genetic basis of SCD is well established so, Beeja Dushtijanya Pandu/ Kulaja Pandu/ Anuvamshika Pandu may be some similarities with SCD. In the present context, the Doshika status of the disease can be analyzed as Vata-Pitta provocation along with the depletion of Kapha. Conclusion: In this study Genetic basis of SCD and Beeja Dushtijanya Pandu is correlated with both Modern and Ayurvedic points of view. Both show similarity in pathogenesis and in some clinical presentation, it can be concluded that Sickle cell disease and Beeja Dushtijanya Pandu/ Kulaja Pandu / Anuvamshika Pandu appears to be appropriate for correlation.

Development and On-Field Deployment of a Mobile-Based Application 'MoSQuIT' for Malaria Surveillance in International Border Districts of Northeast India-Challenges and Opportunities.

The conventional paper-based system for malaria surveillance is time-consuming, difficult to track and resource-intensive. Few digital platforms are in use but wide-scale deployment and acceptability remain to be seen. To address this issue, we created a malaria surveillance mobile app that offers real-time data to stakeholders and establishes a centralised data repository. The MoSQuIT app was designed to collect data from the field and was integrated with a web-based platform for data integration and analysis. The MoSQuIT app was deployed on mobile phones of accredited social health activists (ASHA) working in international border villages in the northeast (NE) Indian states of Assam, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh for 20 months in a phased manner. This paper shares the challenges and opportunities associated with the use of MoSQuIT for malaria surveillance. MoSQuIT employs the same data entry formats as the NVBDCP’s malaria surveillance programme. Using this app, a total of 8221 fever cases were recorded, which included 1192 (14.5%) cases of P. falciparum malaria, 280 (3.4%) cases of P. vivax malaria and 52 (0.6%) mixed infection cases. Depending on network availability, GPS coordinates of the fever cases were acquired by the app. The present study demonstrated that mobile-phone-based malaria surveillance facilitates the quick transmission of data from the field to decision makers. Geospatial tagging of cases helped with easy visualisation of the case distribution for the identification of malaria-prone areas and potential outbreaks, especially in hilly and remote regions of Northeast India. However, to achieve the full operational potential of the system, operational challenges have to be overcome.

Are Individuals Willing to Pay for Community-Based Eco-Friendly Malaria Vector Control Strategies? A Case of Mosquito Larviciding Using Plant-Based Biopesticides in Kenya

This study was carried out to assess individuals’ willingness to pay (WTP) for UZIMAX, a novel plant-based biopesticide developed for malaria vector control. The biopesticide is estimated to kill up to 100% of Anopheles larvae within 48 h of application and poses no risks to human health and the environment. However, scaling-up of its adoption requires clear evidence of its acceptance by individuals in malaria-prone areas. We conducted Becker-DeGroot-Marschak (BDM) revealed preference auctions with 204 participants to determine their willingness to pay (WTP) for community-based application of the biopesticide to control malaria vectors. Nearly all participants were willing to pay at the lowest bid price of the biopesticide, and the majority of them expressed great interest in pooling resources to facilitate biopesticide application. Household per capita income and building capacity of households through training significantly increased WTP. These findings imply high adoption potential of the technology and the need to devise inclusive policy tools, especially those that enhance collective action, resource mobilization and capacity building to empower both men and women and stimulate investment in eco-friendly technologies for malaria prevention. Financial and labor resource mechanisms managed by the community could potentially spur adoption of the biopesticides, and in turn, generate health, environmental and economic benefits to households in malaria-prone communities.

Long-lasting insecticide-treated bed net ownership, utilization and associated factors among school-age children in Dara Mallo and Uba Debretsehay districts, Southern Ethiopia

BackgroundMalaria is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality among school-age children (SAC) in sub-Saharan Africa. SAC account for more than 60% of the reservoir of malaria transmission, but they are given less emphasis in prioritizing malaria prevention interventions. This study was aimed at assessing the ownership of long-lasting insecticide treated bed nets (LLINs), its utilization and factors associated with ownership of LLINs by households and LLINs utilization among SAC in malaria-prone areas of Dara Mallo and Uba Debretsehay districts in Southern Ethiopia, October to December 2019.MethodsThis study is part of a baseline assessment in a cluster-randomized controlled trial. The data was collected through interview and observation, following a structured questionnaire, of 2261 SAC households. Univariable and multivariable multilevel logistic regressions were used to assess the association between LLINs ownership and utilization and potential predictor variables. Odds ratio (OR) and corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) were used to determine the strength and statistical significance of association.ResultsThe ownership of at least one LLIN by households of SAC was about 19.3% (95% CI 17.7–21.0%) but only 10.3% % (95% CI 7.7–13.7%) of these households had adequate access of bed nets to the household members. Ownership of bed net was marginally affected by living in semi-urban area (adjusted OR = 2.6; 95% CI 1.0–6.9) and occupational status of the household head being a civil servant (adjusted OR = 2.7; 95% CI 0.9–7.9). About 7.8% (95% CI 6.7–10.0%) of all SAC participated in the study and 40.4% (95% CI 57.4–66.7%) of children in households owning at least one LLIN passed the previous night under LLIN. LLIN utilization by SAC conditional to presence of at least one net in the household was significantly correlated with education level of mother above grade 6 (adjusted OR = 3.4; 95% CI 1.3–9.3) and the household size to bed net ratio less than or equal to 2 (adjusted OR = 20.7; 95% CI 4.7–132.5).ConclusionOwnership of bed net was lower than universal coverage of at least one bed net for two individuals. It is important to monitor replacement needs and educate mothers with low education level with their SAC on the benefit of consistent utilization of bed nets.

The impact of climatic variables on the population dynamics of the main malaria vector, Anopheles stephensi Liston (Diptera: Culicidae), in southern Iran

Objective: To determine the significance of temperature, rainfall and humidity in the seasonal abundance of Anopheles stephensi in southern Iran. Methods: Data on the monthly abundance of Anopheles stephensi larvae and adults were gathered from earlier studies conducted between 2002 and 2019 in malaria prone areas of southeastern Iran. Climatic data for the studied counties were obtained from climatology stations. Generalized estimating equations method was used for cluster correlation of data for each study site in different years. Results: A significant relationship was found between monthly density of adult and larvae of Anopheles stephensi and precipitation, max temperature and mean temperature, both with simple and multiple generalized estimating equations analysis (P Conclusions: This study provides a basis for developing multivariate time series models, which can be used to develop improved appropriate epidemic prediction systems for these areas. Long-term entomological study in the studied sites by expert teams is recommended to compare the abundance of malaria vectors in the different areas and their association with climatic variables.

The Implementation of Spatial Weighted Regression on Detecting the Risk Factors of Malaria Incidences In Kulonprogo District

Malaria is still a public health problem caused by Plasmodium parasites. This disease is naturally transmitted through the bite of female Anopheles mosquitoes. Kulonprogo Regency is one of the malaria endemic areas that needs to be developed to combat malaria. This research aims to describe the distribution of malaria cases to determine vulnerable areas in Kulonprogo Regency. This research was an observational analytic with cross sectional design conducted in April - October 2018. This research used the total sampling of 62 malaria cases. Data analysis was performed by using a Geographic Information System approach with overlay, buffer, cluster techniques, and spatial weighted regression. Based on the results of the partial analysis, it was found that 62 cases of malaria spread in 6 sub-districts namely: Kokap, Pengasih, Samigaluh, Kalibawang, Wates and Sentolo. The distribution of malaria cases clustered in Kokap Sub District, namely in Kalirejo Village (29 cases) and Hargorejo Village (9 cases). The overlay and buffer techniques found that the distribution of cases spread in Menoreh hills which have forest vegetation. Malaria-prone areas in Kulonprogo Regency were found in Kalirejo Village and Hargorejo Village through the results of spatial analysis using a Geographic Information System approach. Thus, malaria control efforts were focused on these vulnerable areas.

Comparison of Malaria Control Interventions in Angola

Background: There is lack of evidence on which of the two highly recommended malaria prevention methods, mosquito bednets and indoor residual spraying, is more effective than the other. Objective: To compare the effectiveness of mosquito bednets and indoor residual spraying in the prevention of malaria. Based on the Health Belief Model, the research questions tested whether there is any relationship between the use of mosquito bednet or the use of indoor residual spraying and contracting malaria. Materials and Methods: Using a quantitative research design, secondary data from the 2011 Angola malaria indicator survey were analyzed using IBM/SPSS version 24. Chi-square for association, logistic regression, and multinomial logistic regression tests were conducted with significance level set at p value of ≤ .05. Results: From 578 children who slept under mosquito bednet the night before data collection 9.2% (n = 28) had malaria compared to 5.7% (n = 31) of 331 children who did not sleep under mosquito bednet. However, there was no statistically significant association between the use of mosquito bednet and having malaria x2 (1) = 3.324, p = .068, odds = .613, 95% CI [.361, 1.042]. From 2139 children who lived in dwellings that were not sprayed against mosquito 13.2% (n = 250) had malaria compared to 5.6% (n = 7) of 133 children who lived in sprayed dwellings. Furthermore, there was a statistically significant association between the use of indoor residual spraying and having malaria, x2 (1) = 5.152, p = .023, odds = 2.382, 95% CI [1.100, 5.158]. Conclusion: The malaria prevention programs in Angola should focus on indoor residual spraying. It is recommended that all households in Angola malaria prone areas should be regularly sprayed.

Integrating geostatistics and remote sensing for mapping the spatial distribution of cattle hoofprints in relation to malaria vector control

ABSTRACTGlobally, malaria is still a persistent health problem affecting more than 200 million people. With about 90% of malaria cases occurring in Sub-Saharan Africa, it becomes imperative to understand the environmental factors contributing to malaria vector proliferation. The cattle hoofprints are known to be some of the productive breeding sites for Anopheles (An.) arabiensis and An. fenestus in Southern and East African countries. Therefore, this study aimed at testing the potential of integrating field data and Sentinel-2 satellite imagery for mapping cattle hoofprint distribution in the Vhembe District, South Africa. The purpose was to improve the predictability of mosquito breeding sites in the study area by using field point dataset and Sentinel-2 data. Due to the difficulty of sampling all locations in the study area, the spatial interpolation was employed to create continuous surfaces of cattle hoofprints, using limited sampled point observations. The sampled point observations were then correlated with Sentinel-derived variables for predicting cattle hoofprints at unsampled locations. The ordinary Kriging (OK), co-Kriging (CK) and step-wise multiple linear regression (SMLR) were used due to their ability to incorporate both field point data and ancillary datasets. The CK was the best performing interpolation method, with R2 = 0.69 for validation dataset (n = 33), compared to OK (R2 = 0.57) and SMLR (R2 = 0.25). The resulting co-Kriging semivariogram shows that the combination of field data and remote sensing dataset improves the prediction accuracy of cattle hoofprint distribution. Findings from this study demonstrated that the interpolation error for estimating cattle hoofprints/100 m2 can be minimized greatly by using CK (RMSE = 0.2; MAD = 0.04) than with both OK (RMSE = 2.39; MAD = 2.11) and SMLR (RMSE = 5.20; MAD = 4.55) methods. Furthermore, the results from this study indicate that there is a high number of cattle hoofprints in malaria-prone areas at the study site than in the malaria-free areas. Studies such as this provide the platform for developing an operational platform for long-term monitoring of areas susceptible to malaria, risks, and control management.

English

Malaria is one of the most killer diseases in our planet earth. It is the primary cause of patient talks, admissions and demise every year in Ethiopia. It is important to reduce the transmission and effects of the problem identifying and mapping the malaria risk area using geospatial technologies. The general objective of the study is to analyze and map malaria prone areas using geospatial tools in Amibara and Gewanie Woredas of Afar Region. The specific objectives are to identify parameters that contribute to malaria hazard in the study area and to classify and map areas at risk of malaria. To achieve the stated objectives, the researchers employed spatial modeling technique particularly Weighted Overlay Analysis (WOA). Climatic data, topographical data and infrastructural data are the major data of the study. These data were processed and analyzed by ArcGIS, Erdas imagine, Idrisi, 3DEM terrain visualization and global mapper software. The result showed that the area is suitable moderately and marginally for malaria. From the total area of the study, 35 and 65% were moderately and marginally suitable for the occurrence of malaria respectively. Therefore, as malaria is one of the killer diseases the concerned bodies should use the technologies to prevent and control the transmission of malaria in the study area and there should be health package to prevent the diseases. Key words: Malaria mapping, geospatial tools.

Effects of bed nets and anti-malaria drugs use on childhood mortality in Kenya's malaria endemic and epidemic areas.

BackgroundThe Kenya Demographic and Health Surveys (KDHS) data collected since 1989 indicate that malaria prone areas have consistently recorded the highest childhood mortality rates. Malaria control programme information also indicates that malaria contributes to about 20 per cent of the deaths among under-five year old children. The 2009–2017 National Malaria Strategy is being implemented to reduce malaria morbidity and mortality. Its key interventions include: bed nets use; anti-malaria drugs use during pregnancy for prevention; and, prompt treatment using anti-malaria drugs of children with fever. This study seeks to establish differentials in childhood mortality rates by these interventions in three malaria prone areas defined as highland epidemic, coast endemic and lake endemic. It also seeks to determine the effects of these interventions on childhood mortality.MethodsThe data used is drawn from the 2008/9 KDHS. The study sample consists of 3,728 children born less than 60 months prior to the survey. The direct demographic method for estimation of childhood mortality rates and multivariate Poisson regression models are used to analyse the data.ResultsThe findings show that use of bed nets and anti-malaria drugs are not high in Kenya’s malaria prone areas. On the average, only about 60% of the children are found to be in higher use category for each of the three intervention measures. The childhood mortality rates show that higher use of prompt treatment with anti-malaria drugs for children with fever has lower infant and under-five mortality rates in all malaria epidemic and endemic areas compared to lower use. Higher bed nets use has lower childhood mortality rates compared to lower use in coast and lake endemic areas. Higher use of anti-malaria drugs during pregnancy for prevention has lower childhood mortality rates in highland epidemic and lake endemic areas compared to lower use. The regression models fitted show that in highland epidemic area, higher use of anti-malaria drugs during pregnancy for prevention has significant reduction effect on childhood mortality compared to lower use in the presence of breastfeeding duration, toilet facility type and age of child variables. The regression models also show that in combined malaria prone areas, higher prompt treatment of children with fever using anti-malaria drugs has significant reduction effect on both infant and child mortality compared to lower prompt treatment in the presence of breastfeeding duration and toilet facility type variables.ConclusionThis study underscore the need for increasing uptake of malaria interventions and complementing them with longer breastfeeding duration and improved toilet facility in efforts towards reducing infant and child mortality rates in Kenya’s malaria prone areas. There is also need to improve quality of individual household data for malaria module in future KDHS undertakings.

GIS and Remote Sensing for Malaria Risk Mapping, Ethiopia

Abstract. Integrating malaria data into a decision support system (DSS) using Geographic Information System (GIS) and remote sensing tool can provide timely information and decision makers get prepared to make better and faster decisions which can reduce the damage and minimize the loss caused. This paper attempted to asses and produce maps of malaria prone areas including the most important natural factors. The input data were based on the geospatial factors including climatic, social and Topographic aspects from secondary data. The objective of study is to prepare malaria hazard, Vulnerability, and element at risk map which give the final output, malaria risk map. The malaria hazard analyses were computed using multi criteria evaluation (MCE) using environmental factors such as topographic factors (elevation, slope and flow distance to stream), land use/ land cover and Breeding site were developed and weighted, then weighted overlay technique were computed in ArcGIS software to generate malaria hazard map. The resulting malaria hazard map depicts that 19.2 %, 30.8 %, 25.1 %, 16.6 % and 8.3 % of the District were subjected to very high, high, moderate, low and very low malaria hazard areas respectively. For vulnerability analysis, health station location and speed constant in Spatial Analyst module were used to generate factor maps. For element at risk, land use land cover map were used to generate element at risk map. Finally malaria risk map of the District was generated. Land use land cover map which is the element at risk in the District, the vulnerability map and the hazard map were overlaid. The final output based on this approach is a malaria risk map, which is classified into 5 classes which is Very High-risk area, High-risk area, Moderate risk area, Low risk area and Very low risk area. The risk map produced from the overlay analysis showed that 20.5 %, 11.6 %, 23.8 %, 34.1 % and 26.4 % of the District were subjected to very high, high, moderate, low and very low malaria risk respectively. This help to plan valuable measures to be taken in early warning, monitor, control and prevent malaria epidemics.

Larvicidal Activity of Acridone Alkaloids from Zanthoxylum leprieurii against the Malaria Vector Anopheles gambiae

Three acridone alkaloids, 1-hydroxy-3-methoxy-9-acridone 1, 1-hydroxy-3,4-dimethoxy-10-methyl-9-acridone 2, and 1-hydroxy-3-methoxy-10-methyl-9-acridone 3 were isolated from the plant Zanthoxylum leprieurii (Rutaceae) and evaluated for mosquito larvicidal activity against the malaria vector Anopheles gambiae. The mortalities of the larvae were determined after 24 hours. The results of the larvicidal tests demonstrated that compound 1 was the most potent with LC50 and LC90 values of 39.61 and 77.53 ppm, respectively. Compound 2 produced over 75% mortality at a concentration of 250 ppm and had LC50 and LC90 values of 189.76 and 475.41 ppm, respectively. Compound 3 was less potent and achieved only 33% mortality at a concentration of 1000 ppm. Compounds 1 and 2 showed a mortality of up to 100% of the larvae population tested and this can certainly help reduce the mosquito population drastically. Considering that a large proportion of the human population living in malaria prone areas suffer from varying degrees of poverty, the discovery of compounds from plant extracts that may control the mosquito population could be of great value. Keywords: Zanthoxylum leprieurii, Acridone alkaloids, Larvicidal, Activity, malaria, Anopheles gambiae, Vector, Larvae, Mosquito, Plant, larvicidal activity

Malaria and oral health

Half of the world population resides in malaria-prone areas, and the disease is responsible for more than a million deaths annually. This is apart from the economic impact of the disease through resources expended towards treatment and prevention and the loss of manpower. In addition to the overt clinical signs and symptoms, the association of malaria with other diseases such as tuberculosis and HIV infection has been described. However few studies have attempted to investigate its relationship to oral diseases. This review provides an overview of the relevance of malaria to the mouth and adjacent structures. The need for further research is also emphasized.