Longitudinal cohort study of the epidemiology of malaria infections in an area of intense malaria transmission II. Descriptive epidemiology of malaria infection and disease among children.
A large-scale longitudinal cohort project was initiated in western Kenya in June 1992. Between June 1992 and July 1994, 1,848 children less than 15 years of age were monitored prospectively for a mean of 236 days. During this period, 12,035 blood smears were examined for malaria and only 34% were found to be negative. Parasite prevalence (all species) decreased with age (from a high of 83% among children 1-4 years old to 60% among children 10-14 years old). Even more dramatic decreases were noted in the prevalence of high density falciparum infection (from 37% among children 12-23 months old to < 1% among 10-14-year-old children) and in clinical malaria (20% to 0.3% in the same age groups). Children < 1 year of age accounted for 55% of all cases of anemia detected. Anemia was consistently associated with high density infection in children < 10 years of age (20% to 210% increased risk relative to aparasitemic children). These results demonstrate the relationship between high-density malaria infection and two clinical manifestations of malarial illness.
Bloland
P B
PB
Division of Parasitic Diseases, National Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia 30341-3724, USA.
Boriga
D A
DA
Ruebush
T K
TK
McCormick
J B
JB
Roberts
J M
JM
Oloo
A J
AJ
Hawley
W
W
Lal
A
A
Nahlen
B
B
Campbell
C C
CC
D000293:Adolescent; D017677:Age Distribution; D000740:Anemia / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D000818:Animals; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007630:Kenya / Q000453:epidemiology; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D016778:Malaria, Falciparum / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D018512:Parasitemia / Q000469:parasitology; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D015995:Prevalence; D012621:Seasons