Plasmodium falciparum parasite prevalence in East Africa: Updating data for malaria stratification

Abstract

The High Burden High Impact (HBHI) strategy for malaria encourages countries to use multiple sources of available data to define the sub-national vulnerabilities to malaria risk, including parasite prevalence. Here, a modelled estimate of Plasmodium falciparum from an updated assembly of community parasite survey data in Kenya, mainland Tanzania, and Uganda is presented and used to provide a more contemporary understanding of the sub-national malaria prevalence stratification across the sub-region for 2019. Malaria prevalence data from surveys undertaken between January 2010 and June 2020 were assembled form each of the three countries. Bayesian spatiotemporal model-based approaches were used to interpolate space-time data at fine spatial resolution adjusting for population, environmental and ecological covariates across the three countries. A total of 18,940 time-space age-standardised and microscopy-converted surveys were assembled of which 14,170 (74.8%) were identified after 2017. The estimated national population-adjusted posterior mean parasite prevalence was 4.7% (95% Bayesian Credible Interval 2.6–36.9) in Kenya, 10.6% (3.4–39.2) in mainland Tanzania, and 9.5% (4.0–48.3) in Uganda. In 2019, more than 12.7 million people resided in communities where parasite prevalence was predicted ≥ 30%, including 6.4%, 12.1% and 6.3% of Kenya, mainland Tanzania and Uganda populations, respectively. Conversely, areas that supported very low parasite prevalence (<1%) were inhabited by approximately 46.2 million people across the sub-region, or 52.2%, 26.7% and 10.4% of Kenya, mainland Tanzania and Uganda populations, respectively. In conclusion, parasite prevalence represents one of several data metrics for disease stratification at national and sub-national levels. To increase the use of this metric for decision making, there is a need to integrate other data layers on mortality related to malaria, malaria vector composition, insecticide resistance and bionomic, malaria care-seeking behaviour and current levels of unmet need of malaria interventions.

Prevalence and Associated Factors of Malaria Infection among Outpatients Visiting Shewa Robit Health Center, Northcentral Ethiopia

“…In addition, it was evident that age of the participants, sex, marital status, family size, utilization of LLINs and IRS, proximity to mosquito breeding site, and presence of holes on the wall were determinants of malaria transmission. In the current study, the overall percentage of malaria cases detected was 81 (19%) ( n = 422), with P. vivax being the most prevalent species, is lower than the previous findings from Wolaita Zone (33.27%) [ 21 ], and Hallaba (82.84%) [ 22 ], However, is higher than that reported Sudan (9.1%) [ 23 ] Kenya (18.0%) [ 24 ], Kenya (6.4%), Tanzania (12.1%), and Uganda (6.3%) [ 25 ]. Interestingly, some earlier studies conducted in Ethiopia showed much lower prevalence.…”

Prevalence and associated factors of oligohydramnios in pregnancies beyond 36 weeks of gestation at a tertiary hospital in southwestern Uganda

“…There is also evidence of persistence of proteins that encode for apoptosis after placental malaria has been cleared by pharmaceutical agents [ 22 ]. This study also considered vivax malaria, which is not common in our setting in Uganda, and is less virulent compared to Plasmodium falciparum, that has been found to be more common in our setting [ 23 ] . Another study in Malawi reported adverse birth outcomes due to sequestration of Plasmodium falciparum parasites in the placenta [ 24 ].…”

Non-falciparum malaria infections are as prevalent as P. falciparum among Tanzanian schoolchildren

“…Sub-Saharan Africa harbors 95% of the global malaria burden 1 . While national surveys conducted by ministries of health throughout Africa regularly assess Plasmodium falciparum burden 2 , little is known about the prevalence and geographic distribution of non-falciparum malaria species, including Plasmodium malariae, Plasmodium vivax, and Plasmodium ovale spp. [3][4][5][6][7][8] .…”