High Malaria Prevalence among Schoolchildren on Kome Island, Tanzania
The Korean Journal of Parasitology
;
: 571-574, 2015.
Article
in English
| WPRIM
| ID: wpr-160906
ABSTRACT
In order to determine the status of malaria among schoolchildren on Kome Island (Lake Victoria), near Mwanza, Tanzania, a total of 244 schoolchildren in 10 primary schools were subjected to a blood survey using the fingerprick method. The subjected schoolchildren were 123 boys and 121 girls who were 6-8 years of age. Only 1 blood smear was prepared for each child. The overall prevalence of malaria was 38.1% (93 positives), and sex difference was not remarkable. However, the positive rate was the highest in Izindabo Primary School (51.4%) followed by Isenyi Primary School (48.3%) and Bugoro Primary School (46.7%). The lowest prevalence was found in Muungano Primary School (16.7%) and Nyamiswi Primary School (16.7%). These differences were highly correlated with the location of the school on the Island; those located in the peripheral area revealed higher prevalences while those located in the central area showed lower prevalences. Plasmodium falciparum was the predominant species (38.1%; 93/244), with a small proportion of them mixed-infected with Plasmodium vivax (1.6%; 4/244). The results revealed that malaria is highly prevalent among primary schoolchildren on Kome Island, Tanzania, and there is an urgent need to control malaria in this area.
Full text:
Available
Index:
WPRIM (Western Pacific)
Main subject:
Plasmodium falciparum
/
Plasmodium vivax
/
Tanzania
/
Blood
/
Prevalence
/
Cross-Sectional Studies
/
Topography, Medical
/
Coinfection
/
Malaria
/
Microscopy
Type of study:
Observational study
/
Prevalence study
/
Risk factors
Limits:
Child
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
Country/Region as subject:
Africa
Language:
English
Journal:
The Korean Journal of Parasitology
Year:
2015
Type:
Article
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