Kintampo Health Research Centre, Research and Development Division, Ghana Health Service, Kintampo, Ghana.
National Malaria Elimination Programme, Ghana Health Service, Accra, Ghana.
Malar J. 2024 Sep 27;23(1):289. doi: 10.1186/s12936-024-05109-4.
Malaria remains a major public health problem, especially among children in sub-Saharan Africa. Knowledge of malaria parasite prevalence informs targeted interventions and helps to monitor the effectiveness of those interventions. This study aimed to determine prevalence and factors associated with malaria in children aged 6 months to 10 years in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana.
A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 8,741 children aged 6-59 months and 8,292 children aged 5-10 years in all 29 districts of the Greater Accra Region of Ghana in October 2020. Systematic random sampling was used to select communities, households and study participants. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from caregivers. Rapid diagnostic test kits were used to determine the presence of malaria parasites in blood samples collected by fingerprick. Factors associated with malaria RDT-positivity were determined using multivariate logistic regression analysis.
Of 8727 children aged 6-59 months and 8279 aged 5-10 years from whom blood samples were obtained, positive results were obtained for 289 (3.3%; 95% CI 3.0-3.7) and 406 (4.9%; 95% CI 4.5-5.4) respectively. Malaria parasite prevalence in the districts ranged from 0.9 to 10.7% and 1.4-15.0% in children aged 6-59 months and 5-10 years respectively. Factors associated with increased odds of malaria included higher age (AOR = 1.43; 95% CI 1.14-1.71), and living in households without nets on the windows (AOR 1.64; 95% CI 1.10-2.45). On the other hand, living in households located in urban communities was associated with a lower risk of malaria (AOR 0.56; 95% CI 0.40-0.78).
The average prevalence of malaria in the Greater Accra Region is low compared with other regions. However, there are potential hotspots that need to be targeted with appropriate interventions to accelerate the drive towards malaria elimination.
疟疾仍然是一个主要的公共卫生问题，尤其是在撒哈拉以南非洲的儿童中。疟疾寄生虫流行率的知识可以为有针对性的干预措施提供信息，并有助于监测这些干预措施的效果。本研究旨在确定加纳大阿克拉地区 6 个月至 10 岁儿童的疟疾流行率和相关因素。
2020 年 10 月，在加纳大阿克拉地区的所有 29 个区，对 8741 名 6-59 个月和 8292 名 5-10 岁的儿童进行了一项基于社区的横断面研究。采用系统随机抽样的方法选择社区、家庭和研究参与者。使用结构化问卷从照顾者那里收集数据。使用指尖采血的快速诊断检测试剂盒来确定血液样本中是否存在疟原虫。使用多变量逻辑回归分析确定与疟疾 RDT 阳性相关的因素。
在获得血液样本的 8727 名 6-59 个月和 8279 名 5-10 岁的儿童中，阳性结果分别为 289 例（3.3%；95%置信区间 3.0-3.7）和 406 例（4.9%；95%置信区间 4.5-5.4）。6-59 个月和 5-10 岁儿童的疟疾寄生虫流行率在地区间差异从 0.9%到 10.7%和 1.4%到 15.0%不等。与疟疾发生几率增加相关的因素包括年龄较大（AOR=1.43；95%置信区间 1.14-1.71）和家中窗户无蚊帐（AOR 1.64；95%置信区间 1.10-2.45）。另一方面，居住在城市社区的家庭与疟疾风险较低相关（AOR 0.56；95%置信区间 0.40-0.78）。
与其他地区相比，加纳大阿克拉地区的疟疾平均流行率较低。然而，仍有一些潜在的热点地区需要通过适当的干预措施来加以解决，以加速消除疟疾的进程。
