Assessing the Risk Factors Associated with Malaria in the Highlands of Ethiopia: What Do We Need to Know?

Abstract

Malaria has been Ethiopia’s predominant communicable disease for decades. Following the catastrophic malaria outbreak in 2003–2004, the Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) took drastic public health actions to lower the burden of malaria. The FMoH achieved significant declines in malaria mortality and incidence, and recently declared its objective to achieve malaria elimination in low malaria transmission areas of Ethiopia by 2020. However, while the overall malaria prevalence has decreased, unpredictable outbreaks increasingly occur irregularly in regions previously considered “malaria-free”. Such outbreaks have disastrous consequences on populations of these regions as they have no immunity against malaria. The Amhara Region accounts for 31% of Ethiopia’s malaria burden and is targeted for malaria elimination by the FMoH. Amhara’s epidemiological surveillance system faces many challenges to detect in a timely manner the unpredictable and irregular malaria outbreaks that occur in areas of otherwise low transmission. Despite the evidence of a shift in malaria transmission patterns, Amhara’s malaria control interventions remain constrained to areas that are historically known to have stable malaria transmission. This paper discusses the influence of temperature and precipitation variability, entomological parameters, and human population mobility on malaria transmission patterns across the Amhara Region, and in particular, in areas of unstable transmission. We argue that malaria epidemiological surveillance systems can be improved by accounting for population movements in addition to environmental and entomological factors. However, to date, no study has statistically analyzed the interplay of population dynamics on environmental and entomological drivers of malaria transmission.

Prevalence and association of malaria with ABO blood group and hemoglobin levels in individuals visiting Mekaneeyesus Primary Hospital, Estie District, northwest Ethiopia: A cross-sectional study

“…This agrees with several other previous studies conducted in different parts of Ethiopia that also reported predominance of P. vivax followed by P. falciparum and mixed infection of the two, respectively [40,41]. The current result is also consistent with findings reported outside Ethiopia [36,42].…”

Malaria parasitaemia and mRDT diagnostic performances among symptomatic individuals in selected health care facilities across Ghana

“…Parasitological diagnosis among febrile patients provides data that assists malaria-endemic countries to determine their malaria status within the malaria elimination continuum [ 5 – 7 ]. Additionally, elucidating determinants of malaria parasitaemia is useful in informing the deployment of proven interventions to yield maximum impact [ 8 – 10 ]. We report the prevalence of malaria parasitaemia and mRDT diagnostic performances among febrile patients who participated in a nation-wide survey on HRP2 gene deletion conducted in selected health care facilities between May and August 2018.…”

Sero-identification of the aetiologies of human malaria exposure (Plasmodium spp.) in the Limu Kossa District of Jimma Zone, South western Ethiopia

“…The Plasmodium species causing malaria in Ethiopia are Plasmodium falciparum , accounting for about 60% of cases, and Plasmodium vivax , which accounts for about 40% of cases, with the former being the cause of most severe clinical manifestations and deaths [4, 6]. Current case management protocols target both species [4, 5], but may not be adequate for other Plasmodium species.…”