title: Use of Antimalarial in the Management of Fever during a Community Survey in the Kintampo Districts of Ghana.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Epidemiology of malaria and related fevers in most parts of Africa is changing due to scale up of interventions such as appropriate use of ACTs in the effort towards sustained control and eventual elimination of malaria. The use of ACTs in the management of malaria-associated fever was evaluated in the Kintampo districts of Ghana.
  
  
  METHODS
  Household survey was conducted between October 2009 and February, 2011. A random selection of 370 households was generated from 25,000 households existing within the Health and Demographic Surveillance Systems in Kintampo, Ghana at the time. All household members present at the time of survey in the eligible households were interviewed based on a two weeks reported fever recall and the use of antimalarial for the management of fever. A finger-prick blood sample was also obtained from each member of the household present and later examined for malaria parasites using microscopy. Descriptive analysis was performed, with univariate and multivariate analysis used to identify predictors of fever and malaria parasitemia.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 1436 individuals were interviewed from 370 households. Overall, fever prevalence was 23.8% (341/1436) and was 38.8% (77/198) in children < 5 years, 21.3% (264/1238) in older children plus adults. Participants who sought treatment for fever were 84% (285/341) with 47.7% (136/285) using any anti-malarial. Artemisinin-based Combination Therapy use was in 69.1% (94/136) of cases while 30.9% used mono-therapies. Malaria parasitaemia rate was 28.2% (397/1407).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The study reports high community fever prevalence, frequent use of antimalarials for fever treatment and relatively high use of mono-therapies especially in children < 5 years in an area with high malaria parasite prevalence in Ghana.
authors.affiliation: Kintampo Health Research Centre, P. O. Box 200, Kintampo, Brong Ahafo Region.
authors.forename: Livesy Naafoe
authors.initials: LN
authors.lastname: Abokyi
authors.affiliation: Kintampo Health Research Centre, P. O. Box 200, Kintampo, Brong Ahafo Region.
authors.forename: Kwaku Poku
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Asante
authors.affiliation: Kintampo Health Research Centre, P. O. Box 200, Kintampo, Brong Ahafo Region.
authors.forename: Emmanuel
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mahama
authors.affiliation: Kintampo Health Research Centre, P. O. Box 200, Kintampo, Brong Ahafo Region.
authors.forename: Stephaney
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gyaase
authors.affiliation: Kintampo Health Research Centre, P. O. Box 200, Kintampo, Brong Ahafo Region.
authors.forename: Abubakari
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sulemana
authors.affiliation: Kintampo Health Research Centre, P. O. Box 200, Kintampo, Brong Ahafo Region.
authors.forename: Anthony
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kwarteng
authors.affiliation: Kintampo Health Research Centre, P. O. Box 200, Kintampo, Brong Ahafo Region.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ayaam
authors.affiliation: Kintampo Health Research Centre, P. O. Box 200, Kintampo, Brong Ahafo Region.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dosoo
authors.affiliation: Kintampo Health Research Centre, P. O. Box 200, Kintampo, Brong Ahafo Region.
authors.forename: Dennis
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Adu-Gyasi
authors.affiliation: Kintampo Health Research Centre, P. O. Box 200, Kintampo, Brong Ahafo Region.
authors.forename: Seeba
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Amenga Etego
authors.affiliation: INDEPTH Network, East Legon, P.O. Box KD 213 Kanda, Accra, Ghana.
authors.forename: Bernhards
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ogutu
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, PO Box LG-13, Legon, Accra, Ghana.
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Akweongo
authors.affiliation: Kintampo Health Research Centre, P. O. Box 200, Kintampo, Brong Ahafo Region.
authors.forename: Seth
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Owusu-Agyei
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000962:Antimalarials / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005334:Fever / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology; D005869:Ghana; D006801:Humans; D016778:Malaria, Falciparum / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology; D008297:Male; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D000962:Antimalarials