1 research outputs found
Asymptomatic Plasmodium falciparum malaria prevalence among adolescents and adults in Malawi, 2015β2016
Malaria remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in Malawi, with an estimated 18β19% prevalence of Plasmodium falciparum in children 2β10 years in 2015β2016. While children report the highest rates of clinical disease, adults are thought to be an important reservoir to sustained transmission due to persistent asymptomatic infection. The 2015β2016 Malawi Demographic and Health Survey was a nationally representative household survey which collected dried blood spots from 15,125 asymptomatic individuals ages 15β54 between October 2015 and February 2016. We performed quantitative polymerase chain reaction on 7,393 samples, detecting an overall P. falciparum prevalence of 31.1% (SE = 1.1). Most infections (55.6%) had parasitemias β€ 10 parasites/Β΅L. While 66.2% of individuals lived in a household that owned a bed net, only 36.6% reported sleeping under a long-lasting insecticide-treated net (LLIN) the previous night. Protective factors included urbanicity, greater wealth, higher education, and lower environmental temperatures. Living in a household with a bed net (prevalence difference 0.02, 95% CI β 0.02 to 0.05) and sleeping under an LLIN (0.01; β 0.02 to 0.04) were not protective against infection. Our findings demonstrate a higher parasite prevalence in adults than published estimates among children. Understanding the prevalence and distribution of asymptomatic infection is essential for targeted interventions