Malaria amongst children under five in sub-Saharan Africa: a scoping review of prevalence, risk factors and preventive interventions

Abstract

Introduction Africa has a higher burden of malaria-related cases and deaths globally. Children under five accounted for over two-thirds of all malaria deaths in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). This scoping review aims to map evidence of the prevalence, contextual factors and health education interventions of malaria amongst children under 5 years (UN5) in SSA. Method Four main databases (PubMed, Central, Dimensions and JSTOR) produced 27,841 records of literature. Additional searches in Google, Google Scholar and institutional repositories produced 37 records. Finally, 255 full-text records were further screened, and 100 records were used for this review. Results Low or no formal education, poverty or low income and rural areas are risk factors for malaria amongst UN5. Evidence on age and malnutrition as risk factors for malaria in UN5 is inconsistent and inconclusive. Furthermore, the poor housing system in SSA and the unavailability of electricity in rural areas and unclean water make UN5 more susceptible to malaria. Health education and promotion interventions have significantly reduced the malaria burden on UN5 in SSA. Conclusion Well-planned and resourced health education and promotion interventions that focus on prevention, testing and treatment of malaria could reduce malaria burden amongst UN5 in SSA.

Evaluation of CRP as a marker for bacterial infection and malaria in febrile children at the Douala Gyneco-Obstetric and Pediatric Hospital

“…However, many malaria-endemic areas have prevalence values lower (around 10% in both the Tanzanian and Cambodian studies used for comparison [19,27]) or higher (around 67% in the Rwandan study cited above [30]) than that used in this study, which would mean that comparing predictive values across these settings should be done cautiously. Nonetheless, the vast majority of sub-Saharan African countries have a prevalence between 10 and 50% [31], which means the values found in this study can be reasonably applied to most malaria-endemic countries in Africa.…”

Understanding the mechanisms underlying the disruption of the blood–brain barrier in parasitic infections

“…Malaria is acknowledged as the most prevalent parasitic disease affecting the human population, causing the highest incidence of both mortality and morbidity worldwide. In particular, children in Africa are disproportionately affected, constituting the majority of malaria‐related deaths (Sarfo et al., 2023). Despite its common classification as a “tropical” ailment, malaria is not solely limited to tropical regions, as evidenced by approximately 10,000 annual diagnoses among travelers (Postels & Birbeck, 2013).…”

Factors associated with the risk of malaria among children: analysis of 2021 Nigeria Malaria Indicator Survey

“…Malaria is an infectious disease caused by 5 protozoan species, namely; Plasmodium falciparum , Plasmodium malariae , Plasmodium vivax , Plasmodium ovale , and Plasmodium knowlesi. Among these species, P. falciparum is the most lethal pathogen and is found mostly in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) [ 2 , 3 , 6 , 7 ]. Generally, severe outcomes of malaria in children could result in seizures and coma, anaemia due to repeated infection and low birth weight during pregnancy, increasing the risk of death in the first month of life [ 8 ].…”

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