Minwuyelet Awoke, Yewhalaw Delenasaw, Atenafu Getnet
Department of Biology, College of Natural and Computational Science, Debre Markos University, Debre Markos, Amhara, Ethiopia.
Tropical and Infectious Diseases Research Center, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia.
PLoS One. 2025 Apr 29;20(4):e0322570. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0322570. eCollection 2025.
Malaria remains a significant public health challenge in Ethiopia, hindering the country's productivity and development. While malaria incidence had decreased by 2018, and Ethiopia is working towards eliminating the disease by 2030, outbreaks still occur even in areas of low endemicity. Therefore the aim of this study was to assess the ten-year trend in malaria prevalence from 2015 to 2024 at Bichena Primary Hospital in the Amhara region of northwestern Ethiopia.
A retrospective review of malaria blood film examination results was conducted using laboratory registration logbooks at Bichena Primary Hospital. Data collection was carried out from December 30, to January 14. The data were collected using a data collection sheet and entered into the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version for analysis. Bi-variable and multi-variable regression analyses and Pearson's chi-square test were used to examine associations and differences in malaria prevalence trends across factors such as sex, age, year, and season and Plasmodium species. Descriptive statistics were also used to summarize the sociodemographic characteristics of the study participants and the results were presented in graphs, tables and texts.
Out of the 24,107 malaria blood films examined, 4,322 (17.9%, 95% CI: 17.4%-18.4%) tested positive for Plasmodium infections. Of the confirmed cases, 58.7% were P. vivax, 28.6% were P. falciparum, and 12.2% were mixed infections. P. vivax was the predominant species throughout the study period (2015-2024), except for the years 2016 and 2018, when P. falciparum was more prevalent. Subsequently, an increase in malaria cases was reported, with the highest proportion recorded in 2024 (26.8%) and the lowest in 2018 (4%). The likelihood of malaria prevalence was 1.28 times higher in males than in females. Additionally, the chance of malaria prevalence was 1.27 times higher in the 15-24 age group compared to other age groups. The study revealed a significant rise in malaria prevalence, highlighting that malaria remains a major public health issue in the study area. There were also pronounced seasonal variations in malaria cases each year, with males and younger adults being more affected than females, older age groups, and children under five.
Malaria prevention and control efforts need to be strengthened, focusing on regional differences. Ongoing research on diagnostic challenges, parasite elimination, and mosquito infectivity after malaria treatment is essential.
疟疾仍是埃塞俄比亚一项重大的公共卫生挑战，阻碍着该国的生产力和发展。尽管到2018年疟疾发病率有所下降，且埃塞俄比亚正努力在2030年前消除该疾病，但即便在低流行地区仍有疫情爆发。因此，本研究的目的是评估埃塞俄比亚西北部阿姆哈拉地区比切纳初级医院2015年至2024年十年间疟疾流行趋势。
利用比切纳初级医院的实验室登记日志对疟疾血片检查结果进行回顾性分析。数据收集时间为12月30日至1月14日。使用数据收集表收集数据，并录入社会科学统计软件包（SPSS）版本进行分析。采用双变量和多变量回归分析以及Pearson卡方检验，以检验性别、年龄、年份、季节和疟原虫种类等因素在疟疾流行趋势方面的关联和差异。还使用描述性统计来总结研究参与者的社会人口学特征，并以图表和文字形式呈现结果。
在检查的24,107份疟疾血片中，4322份（17.9%，95%置信区间：17.4%-18.4%）疟原虫感染检测呈阳性。在确诊病例中，间日疟原虫占58.7%，恶性疟原虫占28.6%，混合感染占12.2%。除2016年和2018年恶性疟原虫更为流行外，间日疟原虫在整个研究期间（2015 - 2024年）都是主要种类。随后，报告的疟疾病例有所增加，2024年记录的比例最高（26.8%），2018年最低（4%）。男性疟疾流行的可能性比女性高1.28倍。此外，15 - 24岁年龄组疟疾流行的可能性比其他年龄组高1.27倍。该研究揭示了疟疾流行率显著上升，突出表明疟疾在研究地区仍是一个主要的公共卫生问题。每年疟疾病例也有明显的季节性变化，男性和年轻成年人比女性、老年群体以及五岁以下儿童受影响更大。
需要加强疟疾预防和控制工作，关注地区差异。持续开展关于诊断挑战、寄生虫消除以及疟疾治疗后蚊子传染性的研究至关重要。
