title: Epidemiology of malaria in the Taabo health and demographic surveillance system, south-central Côte d'Ivoire.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A deep understanding of the local epidemiology of malaria is essential for the design and implementation of setting-specific control and elimination efforts. In Côte d'Ivoire, new initiatives are underway to reduce the burden of malaria, which requires high-quality longitudinal data. The epidemiology of malaria was studied in the Taabo health and demographic surveillance system (HDSS) in south-central Côte d'Ivoire and implications for control are discussed.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two cross-sectional surveys were carried out in the rainy season of June/July in 2010 and 2011. Inhabitants of approximately 7% of randomly selected households in the Taabo HDSS were invited to participate. People were clinically examined, ear temperature was measured and spleen size determined. Finger-prick blood samples were collected and subjected to a rapid diagnostic test (RDT). Additionally, thick and thin blood films were prepared on microscope slides and diagnosed under a microscope for Plasmodium infection and parasitaemia. Haemoglobin (Hb) level was determined using a HemoCue device.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 1187 and 1264 people in 2010 and 2011, respectively, had complete data records. The prevalence of Plasmodium infection was 46.0% in 2010 and 56.6% in 2011, owing to a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05). Males showed a higher Plasmodium infection prevalence than females (49.6 and 62.8% versus 42.6 and 51.2%; respectively, in 2010 and 2011; both p < 0.05). The highest malaria prevalence was observed among infants and young children (aged ≤9 years). The risk of Plasmodium infection was significantly higher in villages compared to small hamlets and urban settings (p < 0.05). Fever, Hb level and splenomegaly were associated with parasitaemia.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Malaria is highly endemic in the Taabo HDSS in south-central Côte d'Ivoire with considerable spatial heterogeneity of Plasmodium infection. There is a pressing need to scale-up control interventions against malaria.
authors.affiliation: Unité de Formation et de Recherche Biosciences, Université Félix Houphouët-Boigny, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. fidelebassa@ymail.com.|Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques en Côte d'Ivoire, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. fidelebassa@ymail.com.
authors.forename: Fidèle K
authors.initials: FK
authors.lastname: Bassa
authors.affiliation: Unité de Formation et de Recherche Biosciences, Université Félix Houphouët-Boigny, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. mamadou_ouatt@yahoo.fr.
authors.forename: Mamadou
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ouattara
authors.affiliation: Unité de Formation et de Recherche Biosciences, Université Félix Houphouët-Boigny, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. kigbafori.silue@gmail.com.|Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques en Côte d'Ivoire, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. kigbafori.silue@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Kigbafori D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Silué
authors.affiliation: Hôpital Général de Taabo, Taabo-Cité, Côte d'Ivoire. adiossanlukas@yahoo.fr.
authors.forename: Lukas G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Adiossan
authors.affiliation: Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques en Côte d'Ivoire, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. awa_bai@yahoo.fr.
authors.forename: Nahoua
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Baikoro
authors.affiliation: Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques en Côte d'Ivoire, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. kone_siaka0@yahoo.fr.
authors.forename: Siaka
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Koné
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recherche et de Lutte contre le Paludisme, Institut National de la Santé Publique, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. moussanncho@yahoo.fr.
authors.forename: Moussan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: N'Cho
authors.affiliation: Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques en Côte d'Ivoire, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. mahamadou.traoreom@yahoo.fr.
authors.forename: Mahamadou
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Traoré
authors.affiliation: Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques en Côte d'Ivoire, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. bassirou.bonfoh@csrs.ci.
authors.forename: Bassirou
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bonfoh
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland. juerg.utzinger@unibas.ch.|University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland. juerg.utzinger@unibas.ch.
authors.forename: Jürg
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Utzinger
authors.affiliation: Unité de Formation et de Recherche Biosciences, Université Félix Houphouët-Boigny, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. eliezerngoran@yahoo.fr.|Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques en Côte d'Ivoire, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. eliezerngoran@yahoo.fr.
authors.forename: Eliézer K
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: N'Goran
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D007560:Cote d'Ivoire / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008288:Malaria / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018512:Parasitemia / Q000453:epidemiology; D010961:Plasmodium / Q000472:pathogenicity; D055815:Young Adult