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Severe falciparum malaria in young children of the Kassena-Nankana district of northern Ghana.

Authors :
Oduro AR
Koram KA
Rogers W
Atuguba F
Ansah P
Anyorigiya T
Ansah A
Anto F
Mensah N
Hodgson A
Nkrumah F
Source :
Malaria journal [Malar J] 2007 Jul 27; Vol. 6, pp. 96. Date of Electronic Publication: 2007 Jul 27.
Publication Year :
2007

Abstract

Study Design: Severe falciparum malaria in children was studied as part of the characterization of the Kassena-Nankana District Ghana for future malaria vaccine trials. Children aged 6-59 months with diagnosis suggestive of acute disease were characterized using the standard WHO definition for severe malaria.<br />Results: Of the total children screened, 45.2% (868/1921) satisfied the criteria for severe malaria. Estimated incidence of severe malaria was 3.4% (range: 0.4-8.3%) cases per year. The disease incidence was seasonal: 560 cases per year, of which 70.4% occurred during the wet season (June-October). The main manifestations were severe anaemia (36.5%); prolonged or multiple convulsions (21.6%); respiratory distress (24.4%) and cerebral malaria (5.4%). Others were hyperpyrexia (11.1%); hyperparasitaemia (18.5%); hyperlactaemia (33.4%); and hypoglycaemia (3.2%). The frequency of severe anaemia was 39.8% in children of six to 24 months of age and 25.9% in children of 25-60 months of age. More children (8.7%) in the 25-60 months age group had cerebral malaria compared with 4.4% in the 6-24 months age group. The overall case fatality ratio was 3.5%. Cerebral malaria and hyperlactataemia were the significant risk factors associated with death. Severe anaemia, though a major presentation, was not significantly associated with risk of death.<br />Conclusion: Severe malaria is a frequent and seasonal childhood disease in northern Ghana and maybe an adequate endpoint for future malaria vaccine trials.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
1475-2875
Volume :
6
Database :
MEDLINE
Journal :
Malaria journal
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
17662142
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1186/1475-2875-6-96