The epidemiology of malaria and anaemia in the Bonikro mining area, central Côte d’Ivoire

Abstract

BackgroundThe epidemiology of malaria and anaemia is characterized by small-scale spatial and temporal heterogeneity, which might be influenced by human activities, such as mining and related disturbance of the environment. Private sector involvement holds promise to foster public health, including the prevention and control of malaria and anaemia. Here, results from a cross-sectional epidemiological survey, conducted in communities that might potentially be affected by the Bonikro Gold Mine (BGM) in Côte d’Ivoire, are reported.MethodsIn December 2012, a cross-sectional survey was carried out in seven communities situated within a 20-km radius of the BGM in central Côte d’Ivoire. Capillary blood samples were obtained from children aged six to 59 months. Samples were subjected to a rapid diagnostic test (RDT) for Plasmodium falciparum detection, whilst haemoglobin (Hb) was measured to determine anaemia. Additionally, mothers were interviewed with a malaria-related knowledge, attitudes and practices questionnaire.ResultsA total of 339 children and 235 mothers participated in the surveys. A positive RDT for P. falciparum was found in 69% of the children, whilst 72% of the children were anaemic (Hb <11 g/dl). Plasmodium falciparum infection was significantly associated with anaemia (odds ratio (OR) 7.43, 95% confidence interval (CI) 3.97-13.89), access to a health facility (OR 5.59, 95% CI 1.81-17.32) and age (OR 0.04, 95% CI 0.01-0.12; youngest (six to 11 months) versus oldest (48-59 months) age group). Less than a quarter of mothers knew that malaria is uniquely transmitted by mosquitoes (22.3%, 95% CI 16.8-27.7%). Misconceptions were common; most of the mothers believe that working in the sun can cause malaria.ConclusionsMalaria and anaemia are highly endemic in the surveyed communities around the BGM project area in Côte d’Ivoire. The data presented here provide a rationale for designing setting-specific interventions and can be utilized as a benchmark for longitudinal monitoring of potential project-related impacts due to changes in the social-ecological and health systems.

Malaria, anaemia and under-nutrition: three frequently co-existing conditions among preschool children in rural Rwanda

“…Additionally, effective malaria control programmes have been shown to significantly reduce anaemia burden, with anaemia now considered a surrogate indicator of impact of malaria control programmes [ 46 , 47 ]. Interestingly in this study, the risk of anaemia decreased with increasing age groups in contrast to the observed increasing risk of malaria across the same age groups in our study and some studies other malaria-endemic settings [ 15 , 35 , 48 ]. However, in all the other settings, the reported malaria parasite carriage rates were significantly higher than the 6.8 % reported in this study.…”

Malaria Transmission and Prospects for Malaria Eradication: The Role of the Environment

“…Such impacts are associated with, for example, deforestation that can create ideal breeding grounds for mosquitoes; migration of naive populations to malariaendemic areas, or migration of infected people to areas where the malaria vector is present and transmission, albeit absent or very low, is suitable; a large concentration of workers living in poor housing and thus highly exposed to the vector; and creation of ideal water habitats for mosquito breeding, such as artificial lakes associated with dam construction. These and other consequences of development projects, as well as the negative impacts on health, have been well documented for more than a century (e.g., Cruz 1972;Ghebreyesus et al 1999;Lerer and Scudder 1999;Jackson and Sleigh 2000;Keiser et al 2005a;Knoblauch et al 2014). Nevertheless, they continue to happen and to threaten the lives of many in malaria-endemic areas, exposing major flaws in the transparency and execution of environmental impact assessments (Erlanger et al 2008).…”

Changing Patterns of Health in Communities Impacted by a Bioenergy Project in Northern Sierra Leone

“…The prevalence of P. falciparum has declined in the study population between 2010 and 2013. Possible contributors include: (i) a decrease in disease transmission due to interventions, such as ITN distribution (in 2010) and focal indoor residual spraying campaigns [ 23 , 25 , 45 , 46 ]; (ii) the improved diagnostic capacity using RDTs; (iii) an increased availability (including accessibility and affordability) of ACTs in medicine outlets [ 24 , 40 , 47 ]; (iv) environmental changes (e.g., change of vegetation, urbanization, and alteration of breeding sites) [ 48 , 49 , 50 ]; and (v) an increased awareness of, and improved economic conditions to, utilize protective measures [ 51 ]. The national mass-distribution campaign of ITNs was ongoing at the time of the BHS, and a study six months after the distribution found 87.6% of households owned at least one ITN, with 76.5% of households regularly sleeping under an ITN [ 45 ].…”