AI Article Synopsis

  • * The highest malaria rates were observed in Izindabo, Isenyi, and Bugoro primary schools, while the lowest were in Muungano and Nyamiswi schools, indicating a geographical correlation with the prevalence.
  • * Plasmodium falciparum was the most common malaria species found, with an urgent need for malaria control measures on the island due to the high infection rates.

Article 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.

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Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4635836PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.3347/kjp.2015.53.5.571DOI Listing

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