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Effect of a fall in malaria transmission on morbidity and mortality in Kilifi, Kenya.

Publication ,  Journal Article
O'Meara, WP; Bejon, P; Mwangi, TW; Okiro, EA; Peshu, N; Snow, RW; Newton, CRJC; Marsh, K
Published in: Lancet
November 1, 2008

BACKGROUND: As efforts to control malaria are expanded across the world, understanding the role of transmission intensity in determining the burden of clinical malaria is crucial to the prediction and measurement of the effectiveness of interventions to reduce transmission. Furthermore, studies comparing several endemic sites led to speculation that as transmission decreases morbidity and mortality caused by severe malaria might increase. We aimed to assess the epidemiological characteristics of malaria in Kilifi, Kenya, during a period of decreasing transmission intensity. METHODS: We analyse 18 years (1990-2007) of surveillance data from a paediatric ward in a malaria-endemic region of Kenya. The hospital has a catchment area of 250 000 people. Clinical data and blood-film results for more than 61 000 admissions are reported. FINDINGS: Hospital admissions for malaria decreased from 18.43 per 1000 children in 2003 to 3.42 in 2007. Over 18 years of surveillance, the incidence of cerebral malaria initially increased; however, malaria mortality decreased overall because of a decrease in incidence of severe malarial anaemia since 1997 (4.75 to 0.37 per 1000 children) and improved survival among children admitted with non-severe malaria. Parasite prevalence, the mean age of children admitted with malaria, and the proportion of children with cerebral malaria began to change 10 years before hospitalisation for malaria started to fall. INTERPRETATION: Sustained reduction in exposure to infection leads to changes in mean age and presentation of disease similar to those described in multisite studies. Changes in transmission might not lead to immediate reductions in incidence of clinical disease. However, longitudinal data do not indicate that reductions in transmission intensity lead to transient increases in morbidity and mortality.

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Published In

Lancet

DOI

EISSN

1474-547X

Publication Date

November 1, 2008

Volume

372

Issue

9649

Start / End Page

1555 / 1562

Location

England

Related Subject Headings

  • Population Surveillance
  • Malaria
  • Kenya
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Infant
  • Incidence
  • Humans
  • Hospitalization
  • Hospital Records
  • General & Internal Medicine
 

Citation

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O’Meara, W. P., Bejon, P., Mwangi, T. W., Okiro, E. A., Peshu, N., Snow, R. W., … Marsh, K. (2008). Effect of a fall in malaria transmission on morbidity and mortality in Kilifi, Kenya. Lancet, 372(9649), 1555–1562. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(08)61655-4
O’Meara, Wendy P., Phillip Bejon, Tabitha W. Mwangi, Emelda A. Okiro, Norbert Peshu, Robert W. Snow, Charles R. J. C. Newton, and Kevin Marsh. “Effect of a fall in malaria transmission on morbidity and mortality in Kilifi, Kenya.Lancet 372, no. 9649 (November 1, 2008): 1555–62. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(08)61655-4.
O’Meara WP, Bejon P, Mwangi TW, Okiro EA, Peshu N, Snow RW, et al. Effect of a fall in malaria transmission on morbidity and mortality in Kilifi, Kenya. Lancet. 2008 Nov 1;372(9649):1555–62.
O’Meara, Wendy P., et al. “Effect of a fall in malaria transmission on morbidity and mortality in Kilifi, Kenya.Lancet, vol. 372, no. 9649, Nov. 2008, pp. 1555–62. Pubmed, doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(08)61655-4.
O’Meara WP, Bejon P, Mwangi TW, Okiro EA, Peshu N, Snow RW, Newton CRJC, Marsh K. Effect of a fall in malaria transmission on morbidity and mortality in Kilifi, Kenya. Lancet. 2008 Nov 1;372(9649):1555–1562.
Journal cover image

Published In

Lancet

DOI

EISSN

1474-547X

Publication Date

November 1, 2008

Volume

372

Issue

9649

Start / End Page

1555 / 1562

Location

England

Related Subject Headings

  • Population Surveillance
  • Malaria
  • Kenya
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Infant
  • Incidence
  • Humans
  • Hospitalization
  • Hospital Records
  • General & Internal Medicine