Kwofie Patience, Tetteh John, Akakpo Reindorf Elijah, Sarfo Bismark
National Cardiothoracic Centre, Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra, Ghana.
Department of Epidemiology and Disease Control, School of Public Health, University of Ghana, Ghana.
J Parasitol Res. 2020 Oct 29;2020:8822165. doi: 10.1155/2020/8822165. eCollection 2020.
Head porters constitute the mobile population who are at an increasing risk of being infected with malaria. They move around the city to carry out their duties with no accommodation. Therefore, they sleep wherever they find themselves in the evening and do not benefit from most of the malaria intervention programs such as the use of long-lasting insecticide net. The inability to identify them because they are mobile means that they can continue to drive malaria transmission even if malaria in the general population is controlled.
This study assessed the factors associated with malaria infection among head porters in the Agbogbloshie market in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana.
A total of 218 head porters were recruited from the Agbogbloshie market, and blood samples were collected from participants to test for malaria parasite infection using Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) and microscopy and were interviewed using a closed-ended questionnaire. The data were analyzed using Stata version 15. Simple descriptive statistics, Pearson chi-square, and Multiple Logistic Regression were performed with significance set at <0.05.
The study revealed 12% (CI 95% = 8.2-16.9) and 9.6% (CI 95% = 6.3-14.4) infection of malaria using RDT and microscopy, respectively. (21/218) was the main parasite detected in all positive blood samples. Age and marital status are significant factors associated with malaria infection among head porters. Age group 40 years and above had 89% (AOR 0.11 (CI 95% = 0.01-0.98)) reduced odds of getting malaria compared to those below 20 years, while those who are single are 3.52 times more likely to be infected with malaria compared with those who are married (AOR (95%CI) = 3.52 (1.13-10.92)).
This study concludes that the increasing age of head porters significantly decreased the probability of malaria infection, while head porters who are single have greater odds of being infected with malaria. Age and marital status are important factors to be considered for malaria intervention programs in head porters.
搬运工人构成了流动人群，感染疟疾的风险日益增加。他们在城市中四处奔波履行职责，没有住处。因此，他们晚上无论身处何处都就地睡觉，无法从大多数疟疾干预项目中受益，比如使用长效杀虫剂蚊帐。由于他们流动性大，难以识别，这意味着即使普通人群中的疟疾得到控制，他们仍可能继续传播疟疾。
本研究评估了加纳大阿克拉地区阿博布罗西市场搬运工人中与疟疾感染相关的因素。
从阿博布罗西市场招募了总共218名搬运工人，采集参与者的血样，使用快速诊断检测（RDT）和显微镜检查来检测疟原虫感染情况，并使用封闭式问卷进行访谈。数据使用Stata 15版本进行分析。进行了简单描述性统计、Pearson卡方检验和多元逻辑回归分析，显著性设定为<0.05。
研究显示，使用RDT和显微镜检查检测到的疟疾感染率分别为12%（95%置信区间=8.2-16.9）和9.6%（95%置信区间=6.3-14.4）。（21/218）是在所有阳性血样中检测到的主要疟原虫。年龄和婚姻状况是搬运工人中与疟疾感染相关的重要因素。40岁及以上年龄组感染疟疾的几率比20岁以下的人低89%（调整后比值比0.11（95%置信区间=0.01-0.98）），而单身者感染疟疾的可能性是已婚者的3.52倍（调整后比值比（95%置信区间）=3.52（1.13-10.92））。
本研究得出结论，搬运工人年龄的增长显著降低了疟疾感染的概率，而单身搬运工人感染疟疾的几率更大。年龄和婚姻状况是搬运工人疟疾干预项目中需要考虑的重要因素。
