Assessment of knowledge of malaria and its control practices in mining and sugarcane growing regions of Western Kenya highlands.

Background: Despite upscaled control efforts, deaths and hospitalization due to malaria remained high in counties of western Kenya highlands.

Objectives: This study assessed the knowledge of malaria in two rural communities, the control strategies they use, and their capacity to integrate the available control programs.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was carried out in two rural villages in November - December 2018.

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) type 1 genetic diversity in HIV positive individuals on antiretroviral therapy in a cross-sectional study conducted in Teso, Western Kenya.

Introduction: high HIV-1 infection rates and genetic diversity especially in African population pose significant challenges in HIV-1 clinical management and drug design and development. HIV-1 is a major health challenge in Kenya and causes mortality and morbidity in the country as well as straining the healthcare system and the economy. This study sought to identify HIV-1 genetic subtypes circulating in Teso, Western Kenya which borders the Republic of Uganda.

Clinical laboratory hematology reference values among infants aged 1month to 17 months in Kombewa Sub-County, Kisumu: A cross sectional study of rural population in Western Kenya.

There is an urgent need for reliable region-specific hematological reference values for clinical monitoring. Laboratory reference ranges are important for assessing study participant eligibility, toxicity grading and management of adverse events in clinical trials and clinical diagnosis. Most clinical laboratories in Kenya rely on hematological reference values provided by instrument manufacturers and/or textbooks, which are based on population from Europe or North America.

Risk Factors Associated with Helminthic Intestinal Infection in Lurambi Subcounty, Kakamega, Kenya.

Background: Soil-transmitted helminths (STHs) and schistosome infections have been known to be major causes of morbidity and mortality in sub-Saharan countries. School aged and preschool children are known to be at high risk of infection. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and risk factors associated with soil-transmitted helminths among school-going children in Lurambi Subcounty, Kakamega, Kenya.

Prevalence and Intensity of Intestinal Helminth Infections in Preschool Pupils in Lugari Subcounty, Kakamega County, Kenya.

Intestinal helminths cause anaemia, malnutrition, indigestion disorders, retarded growth, and low mental abilities in pupils. About 1.5 billion are infected globally.

Complement activation by merozoite antigens of Plasmodium falciparum.

Background: Complement (C) is a crucial part of the innate immune system and becomes over activated during malaria, resulting in depletion of C components, especially those for lectin pathway (LP), thereby compromising the host's innate defense. In this study, involvement of P. falciparum antigens in C activation was investigated.

B-cell activity in children with malaria.

Background: Recent studies implicate deficiency of red blood cell (RBC) complement regulatory proteins (CR1 and CD55) in the pathogenesis of malarial anaemia. This study explored the involvement of B cell CD21, which has an analogous role to RBC CR1.

Methods: In a case control study conducted in Kisumu District hospital, western Kenya, children with severe malaria anaemia (SMA) and those with uncomplicated malaria (UM) were assessed by flow cytometry for B cells (CD20+) numbers, expression levels of CD21 and deposition of C3dg and by ELISA for soluble CD21 (sCD21).