Environmental Factors Affecting Malaria Parasite Prevalence in Rural Bolifamba; South-West Cameroon

The impact of some environmental factors on malaria parasite prevalence was investigated in rural Bolifamba; Cameroon. The study population comprised 1454 subjects aged 0 - 65 years. Malaria parasite prevalence was higher in the rainy (50.1) than in the dry season (44.2) with a significant difference (P=0.001) in mean parasite density between seasons. Individuals 15 years old; had significantly higher malaria parasite prevalence (55.5) than those 15 years (37.4). Malaria parasite prevalence (P=0.001) and parasite density (P=0.03) were higher in the individuals of wooden plank houses than those of cement brick houses. Inhabitants of houses surrounded by bushes or garbage heaps and swamps or stagnant water showed higher malaria parasite prevalence and densities compared with those from cleaner surroundings. Anopheles gambiae (63.8) and A. funestus (32.8) were associated with perennial transmission of malaria. Our data indicates that poor environmental sanitation and housing conditions may be significant risk factors for malaria parasite burden in Bolifamba

In vivo efficacy study of quinine sulphate in the treatment of uncomplicated P. Falciparum malaria in patients from southwestern Cameroon

Objective: To evaluate clinical, parasitological and haematological responses to quinine sulphate therapy in patients with uncomplicated malaria using the 14-day WHO protocol. Design: Longitudinal study.Setting: The Buea Provincial hospital annex located in South Western Cameroon. Subjects: The study participants consisted of children (≥8 months) and adults (≤50 years) with acute malaria attending the outpatient division of health institutions within Fako Division.Results: Quinine sulphate failure was found in 42% of the patients. Of these 10% were resistant at the RI while 32% were at the RII level. Clinically, the overall success rate (ACR) was 94.2% while therapeutic failures (ETF and LTF) were observed in four patients (5.8%). 27.4% and 17.4% of the patients were anaemic at enrolment and day 14 respectively. The mean PCV levels of the patients increased during the follow-up period except on day three when mean PCV levels dropped. The difference in the mean PCV levels during the follow-up was significant (F=60.29; P=0.0001).Conclusion: The relatively high resistance of quinine sulphate observed in this study suggests the need to monitor the spread of resistance to this drug in the study region