Seguridad alimentaria y nutricional en un espacio de riesgo para la malaria / Food and nutritional security in a risk area for malaria

To explore some relationships between alimentary and nutritional security (SAN) and nutritional status in an endemic malaria community, applying qualitative and quantitative methods simultaneously. The study was descriptive and prospective. The population were all farming Afro-American families who live in the basin of the river Valle (Bahía Solano. Chocó, Colombia) that derived the base of their feeding of the agriculture. The SAN was measured from the monthly availability of foods and was classified in adequate and inadequate according to the available monthly caloric balance percentage. We determined the risk of acute malnutrition (indicative P/T), chronic (T/E), global (P/E) and risk of thinness (BMI). We sought for malarian cases. The official data of illness were revised. We applied surveys to know the morbidity and knowledge, attitudes and practices in malaria infections, 29 per cent of homes had alimentary insecurity. There was protein deficit and iron of high availability, calcium and vitamin A in 100 per cent of families. In children under 6 years old, we found 31 per cent and 69 per cent, in same order, with low P/T and T/E, while in the 6-10 year old children had 14 per cent and 41 per cent, respectively. In adolescents (11 to 17 years old) the risk of thinness was 15 per cent and in adults 3 per cent. There was not association between alimentary available and family nutritional status. These results suggest subclinics deficiencies of micronutrients.

Humoral immune response to the anti-malaria vaccine SPf66 in the Colombian Atrato river region

The immunogenicity of anti-malaria synthetic vaccine SPf66 was tested in a region of the Colombian middle Atrato river. The specific serum antibodies against SPf66 were quantified in vaccinees and placebo injected controls for a two-years period post-immunization. The frequency of individuals showing seroconversion of anti-SPf66 antibodies three months after completion of the immunization schedule was higher in vaccinees than in controls (52.7 per cent and 25.5 per cent, respectively, p<0.01). However, an over than four-fold increase of the specific anti-SPf66 antibody titers was observed only in 1.4 per cent of vaccinees and 0.2 per cent of the controls (p<0.01). The anti-SPf66 antibody titers augmented in vaccinees from first dose application to three months after the thrid dose, continuously decreasing thereafter to reach below baseline values two years after completion of the immunization schedule. The results show that SPf66 has very low immunogenicity and induces a short term humoral immune response (six months).