Publications

Despite the huge resources committed to eradicating malaria globally, malaria remains endemic in Africa. Chronicmalaria infection may be life-threatening in children due to increased susceptibility to anemia. This study was aimedat determining the prevalence of anemia among malaria-infected children and its possible association with sociodemographicattributes in children. This study is a cross-sectional study involving 225 children under 10 yearsattending Doka rural hospital. Giemsa-stained thick blood films were examined microscopically. Hematocrit levelswere determined using standard methods. Results were analyzed using chi-square statistics to determine theassociation between malaria infection and anaemia. A total of 204 children representing 80% of the study participantswere positive for malaria. The use of insecticide-treated net was low (7%) and did not significantly reduce the riskof infection and anemia. The general prevalence of anemia was 59.2%. There was a significantly higher prevalenceof anemia among malaria-positive children (p<0.000). Malaria presents a strong factor for developing anemia(OR=15.09; 95% CI=6.43, 35.38; P<0.0001). There was no association between malaria parasitemia and gender orseason of the year. The prevalence of malaria in Doka is quite high and is strongly associated with anemia.Surprisingly, the use of insecticide-treated nets did not reduce malaria infection. Hence, there is a need for effectivemalaria prevention schemes which may include education and the inclusion of routine anemia programs whenevaluating children for malaria infection.