Back to Search
Start Over
Malaria incidence in children in South-West Burkina Faso: comparison of active and passive case detection methods.
- Source :
-
PloS one [PLoS One] 2014 Jan 24; Vol. 9 (1), pp. e86936. Date of Electronic Publication: 2014 Jan 24 (Print Publication: 2014). - Publication Year :
- 2014
-
Abstract
- Background: The aim of this study was to determine the incidence and seasonal pattern of malaria in children in South-West Burkina Faso, and to compare, in a randomized trial, characteristics of cases detected by active and passive surveillance. This study also enabled the planning of a malaria vaccine trial.<br />Methods: Households with young children, located within 5 kilometers of a health facility, were randomized to one of two malaria surveillance methods. In the first group, children were monitored actively. Each child was visited twice weekly; tympanic temperature was measured, and if the child had a fever or history of fever, a malaria rapid diagnostic test was performed and a blood smear collected. In the second group, children were monitored passively. The child's parent or caregiver was asked to bring the child to the nearest clinic if he was unwell. Follow up lasted 13 months from September 2009.<br />Results: Incidence of malaria (Fever with parasitaemia ≥5,000/µL) was 1.18 episodes/child/year in the active cohort and 0.89 in the passive cohort (rate ratio 1.32, 95% CI 1.13-1.54). Malaria cases in the passive cohort were more likely to have high grade fever; but parasite densities were similar in the two groups. Incidence was highly seasonal; when a specific case definition was used, about 60% of cases occurred within the 4 months June-September.<br />Conclusion: Passive case detection required at least a 30%-40% increase in the sample size for vaccine trials, compared to active detection, to achieve the same power. However we did not find any evidence that parasite densities were higher with passive than with active detection. The incidence of malaria is highly seasonal and meets the WHO criteria for Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC). At least half of the malaria cases in these children could potentially be prevented if SMC was effectively deployed.
- Subjects :
- Burkina Faso epidemiology
Child, Preschool
Epidemiological Monitoring
Erythrocytes parasitology
Female
Fever epidemiology
Fever parasitology
Fever physiopathology
Follow-Up Studies
Humans
Incidence
Infant
Infant, Newborn
Malaria, Falciparum epidemiology
Malaria, Falciparum parasitology
Malaria, Falciparum physiopathology
Male
Parasitemia epidemiology
Parasitemia parasitology
Parasitemia physiopathology
Plasmodium falciparum growth & development
Risk
Seasons
Fever diagnosis
Malaria, Falciparum diagnosis
Parasitemia diagnosis
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1932-6203
- Volume :
- 9
- Issue :
- 1
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- PloS one
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 24475198
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0086936