Last Updated: 17/12/2024
Reactive case detection of Plasmodium falciparum in western Kenya highlands
Objectives
This study focuses on reactive case to detect asymptomatic malaria infections in the Western Kenya highlands. In particular, the aim is to compare the number of secondary malaria infections detected in index case households and neighbours to the estimated total of infections in the community.
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Ghana
Reactive case detection (RACD) aims to screen individuals living near clinical cases (index cases) diagnosed at health facilities, as they represent foci of infections. This approach has shown effectiveness in detecting extra infections because of spatial clustering of infections within houses and neighbours. However, RACD presents a number of logistical challenges. The household location of each clinical case needs to be recorded and communicated to teams ready to conduct follow-up activities. The identification of the size of foci, and thus the number of households to target, requires a detailed understanding of the transmission epidemiology.
Within 1 year, 1430 confirmed malaria cases were identified in Marani hospital, western Kenya. Fifty cases were followed up, and 108 index case household members and 612 neighbours within a 100 m radius were screened. As controls, samples were collected from 510 individuals matched with index cases and located at a distance of ≥ 500 m from them. Infections were diagnosed by microscopy and PCR while simultaneously collecting malaria vectors indoor using pyrethrum spray catches.
Oct 2015 — Sep 2016
Related Resources
