1
|
Zou L, Ning K, Deng W, Zhang X, Sharifi MS, Luo J, Bai Y, Wang X, Zhou W. Study on the use and effectiveness of malaria preventive measures reported by employees of chinese construction companies in Western Africa in 2021. BMC Public Health 2023; 23:813. [PMID: 37138259 PMCID: PMC10158225 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-023-15737-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2022] [Accepted: 04/23/2023] [Indexed: 05/05/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND As malaria continues to be a significant global public health concern, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa, Chinese workers in Africa are at increased risk of malaria. The effectiveness of malaria prevention measures implemented by Chinese companies and workers is a question that may correlate with the malaria infection rate in this population. This study explored the use and effectiveness of malaria prevention measures for Chinese employees in West Africa to provide a reference for companies and individuals on improving malaria prevention and control. METHODS Using a cross-sectional approach, we surveyed 256 participants in 2021, mainly from Nigeria, Mali, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Senegal in West Africa. The survey duration is from July to the end of September 2021. We selected two companies from the 2020 ENR "World's Largest 250 International Contractors" list, which featured 6 Chinese companies, all of which are state-owned and have a 61.9% market share in Africa. The participants were Chinese workers with more than a year of work experience in construction companies in Africa. A 20-minute WeChat-based structured online questionnaire was used to obtain information on malaria infection status and malaria prevention measures. Descriptive statistical analysis, chi-square test, principal components analysis, and ordinal logistic regression analysis are used to analyze the data obtained. The difference in Statistical significance was set at P < 0.05. RESULTS Ninety six (37.5%) participants contracted malaria more than once within a year. The principal components analysis found a low correlation between public and individual preventive measures. No significant correlation was found between public preventive measures and malaria infection (p > 0.05), while standardized use of mosquito nets (P = 0.016) and pesticide spraying (P = 0.047) contributed significantly to fewer malaria infections at the individual level, but the removal of vegetation around houses (P = 0.028) at the individual level related to higher malaria infection. CONCLUSIONS In our sample of Chinese construction workers going to Africa, some individual preventive measures had a stronger association with malaria prevention than a variety of public environmental measures. Furthermore, individual and public preventive measures were not associated with each other. Both of these findings are surprising and require further investigation in larger and more diverse samples. This- study provides important clues about the challenges that risk reduction programs face for migrant workers from China and elsewhere.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Li Zou
- School of literature and journalism, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan Province, China
| | - Ke Ning
- School of literature and journalism, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan Province, China
| | - Wenyu Deng
- Insurance Professional College, Changsha, Hunan Province, China
| | - Xufei Zhang
- School of literature and journalism, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan Province, China
| | - Mohammad Shahir Sharifi
- School of literature and journalism, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan Province, China
| | - Junfei Luo
- School of literature and journalism, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan Province, China
| | - Yin Bai
- School of literature and journalism, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan Province, China
| | - Xiner Wang
- School of literature and journalism, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan Province, China
| | - Wenjuan Zhou
- School of literature and journalism, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan Province, China.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Bellotti E, Voros A, Passah M, Nongrum QD, Nengnong CB, Khongwir C, van Eijk A, Kessler A, Sarkar R, Carlton JM, Albert S. Social network and household exposure explain the use of malaria prevention measures in rural communities of Meghalaya, India. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2023:2023.04.23.23288997. [PMID: 37162984 PMCID: PMC10168486 DOI: 10.1101/2023.04.23.23288997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Malaria remains a global concern despite substantial reduction in incidence over the past twenty years. Public health interventions to increase the uptake of preventive measures have contributed to this decline but their impact has not been uniform. To date, we know little about what determines the use of preventive measures in rural, hard-to-reach populations, which are crucial contexts for malaria eradication. We collected detailed interview data on the use of malaria preventive measures, health-related discussion networks, individual characteristics, and household composition in ten tribal, malaria-endemic villages in Meghalaya, India in 2020-2021 (n=1,530). Employing standard and network statistical models, we found that social network and household exposure were consistently positively associated with preventive measure use across villages. Network and household exposure were also the most important factors explaining behaviour, outweighing individual characteristics, opinion leaders, and network size. These results suggest that real-life data on social networks and household composition should be considered in studies of health-behaviour change.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Bellotti
- Department of Sociology, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Andras Voros
- School of Social Policy, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Mattimi Passah
- Indian Institute of Public Health Shillong, Shillong, Meghalaya, India
| | | | | | | | - Annemieke van Eijk
- Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, Department of Biology, New York University, USA
| | - Anne Kessler
- Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, Department of Biology, New York University, USA
| | - Rajiv Sarkar
- Indian Institute of Public Health Shillong, Shillong, Meghalaya, India
| | - Jane M. Carlton
- Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, Department of Biology, New York University, USA
| | - Sandra Albert
- Indian Institute of Public Health Shillong, Shillong, Meghalaya, India
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Alenou LD, Nwane P, Mbakop LR, Piameu M, Ekoko W, Mandeng S, Bikoy EN, Toto JC, Onguina H, Etang J. Burden of mosquito-borne diseases across rural versus urban areas in Cameroon between 2002 and 2021: prospective for community-oriented vector management approaches. Parasit Vectors 2023; 16:136. [PMID: 37076896 PMCID: PMC10114431 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-023-05737-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2022] [Accepted: 03/12/2023] [Indexed: 04/21/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Over the past two decades, Cameroon has recorded one of the highest rates of urban population growth in sub-Saharan Africa. It is estimated that more than 67% of Cameroon's urban population lives in slums, and the situation is far from improving as these neighbourhoods are growing at an annual rate of 5.5%. However, it is not known how this rapid and uncontrolled urbanization affects vector populations and disease transmission in urban versus rural areas. In this study, we analyse data from studies conducted on mosquito-borne diseases in Cameroon between 2002 and 2021 to determine the distribution of mosquito species and the prevalence of diseases they transmit with regards to urban areas versus rural areas. METHODS A search of various online databases, such as PubMed, Hinari, Google and Google Scholar, was conducted for relevant articles. A total of 85 publications/reports were identified and reviewed for entomological and epidemiological data from the ten regions of Cameroon. RESULTS Analysis of the findings from the reviewed articles revealed 10 diseases transmitted by mosquitoes to humans across the study regions. Most of these diseases were recorded in the Northwest Region, followed by the North, Far North and Eastern Regions. Data were collected from 37 urban and 28 rural sites. In the urban areas, dengue prevalence increased from 14.55% (95% confidence interval [CI] 5.2-23.9%) in 2002-2011 to 29.84% (95% CI 21-38.7%) in 2012-2021. In rural areas, diseases such as Lymphatic filariasis and Rift valley fever, which were not present in 2002-2011, appeared in 2012-2021, with a prevalence of 0.4% (95% CI 0.0- 2.4%) and 10% (95% CI 0.6-19.4%), respectively. Malaria prevalence remained the same in urban areas (67%; 95% CI 55.6-78.4%) between the two periods, while it significantly decreased in rural areas from 45.87% (95% CI 31.1-60.6%) in 2002-2011 to 39% (95% CI 23.7-54.3%) in the 2012-2021 period (*P = 0.04). Seventeen species of mosquitoes were identified as involved in the transmission of these diseases, of which 11 were involved in the transmission of malaria, five in the transmission of arboviruses and one in the transmission of malaria and lymphatic filariasis. The diversity of mosquito species was greater in rural areas than in urban areas during both periods. Of the articles reviewed for the 2012-2021 period, 56% reported the presence of Anopheles gambiae sensu lato in urban areas compared to 42% reported in 2002-2011. The presence of Aedes aegypti increased in urban areas in 2012-2021 but this species was absent in rural areas. Ownership of long-lasting insecticidal nets varied greatly from one setting to another. CONCLUSIONS The current findings suggest that, in addition to malaria control strategies, vector-borne disease control approaches in Cameroon should include strategies against lymphatic filariasis and Rift Valley fever in rural areas, and against dengue and Zika viruses in urban areas.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Leo Dilane Alenou
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Douala, P.O. Box 2701, Douala, Cameroon.
- Malaria Research Laboratory, Yaoundé Research Institute (IRY), Organization for the Coordination of Endemic Diseases' Control in Central Africa (OCEAC), P.O. Box 288, Yaoundé, Cameroon.
| | - Philippe Nwane
- Malaria Research Laboratory, Yaoundé Research Institute (IRY), Organization for the Coordination of Endemic Diseases' Control in Central Africa (OCEAC), P.O. Box 288, Yaoundé, Cameroon
- Department of Animal Biology and Physiology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Yaoundé I, P.O. Box 337, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | - Lili Ranaise Mbakop
- Malaria Research Laboratory, Yaoundé Research Institute (IRY), Organization for the Coordination of Endemic Diseases' Control in Central Africa (OCEAC), P.O. Box 288, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | - Michael Piameu
- Malaria Research Laboratory, Yaoundé Research Institute (IRY), Organization for the Coordination of Endemic Diseases' Control in Central Africa (OCEAC), P.O. Box 288, Yaoundé, Cameroon
- School of Health Sciences, Catholic University of Central Africa, P.O. Box 1110, Yaounde, Cameroon
| | - Wolfgang Ekoko
- Malaria Research Laboratory, Yaoundé Research Institute (IRY), Organization for the Coordination of Endemic Diseases' Control in Central Africa (OCEAC), P.O. Box 288, Yaoundé, Cameroon
- Department of Animal Biology and Physiology, University of Bamenda, Bambili, P.O. Box 39, Douala, Cameroon
| | - Stanislas Mandeng
- Malaria Research Laboratory, Yaoundé Research Institute (IRY), Organization for the Coordination of Endemic Diseases' Control in Central Africa (OCEAC), P.O. Box 288, Yaoundé, Cameroon
- Department of Animal Biology and Physiology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Yaoundé I, P.O. Box 337, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | - Elisabeth Ngo Bikoy
- Department of Animal Biology and Physiology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Yaoundé I, P.O. Box 337, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | - Jean Claude Toto
- Malaria Research Laboratory, Yaoundé Research Institute (IRY), Organization for the Coordination of Endemic Diseases' Control in Central Africa (OCEAC), P.O. Box 288, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | - Hugues Onguina
- Malaria Research Laboratory, Yaoundé Research Institute (IRY), Organization for the Coordination of Endemic Diseases' Control in Central Africa (OCEAC), P.O. Box 288, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | - Josiane Etang
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Douala, P.O. Box 2701, Douala, Cameroon.
- Malaria Research Laboratory, Yaoundé Research Institute (IRY), Organization for the Coordination of Endemic Diseases' Control in Central Africa (OCEAC), P.O. Box 288, Yaoundé, Cameroon.
- Department of Insect Biotechnology in Plant Protection, Institute for Insect Biotechnology, Faculty 09-Agricultural Sciences, Nutritional Sciences and Environmental Management, Justus-Liebig-University Gießen, Winchester Str. 2, 35394, Giessen, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Nlinwe NO, Nchefor FG, Takwi NB. Impact of long lasting insecticidal nets on asymptomatic malaria during pregnancy, in a rural and urban setting in Cameroon. Parasite Epidemiol Control 2022; 18:e00265. [PMID: 35992014 PMCID: PMC9375851 DOI: 10.1016/j.parepi.2022.e00265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2022] [Revised: 07/04/2022] [Accepted: 08/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
According to the world malaria report more malaria cases were reported in 2020 than in 2019, due to disruptions in the distribution of insecticide treated nets, caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Consequently a projected 34.32% (11.6 million out of 33.8 million) pregnancies were exposed to malaria in the WHO African Region in 2020. This study was therefore designed to assess the impact of long lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) on asymptomatic malaria in the pregnant women attending the Foumbot District Hospital (rural setting) and the Bamenda Regional Hospital (urban setting). This was a hospital based cross-sectional study done within three months from February to April 2021. A structured questionnaire and the CareStart™ Pf Malaria HRP2 qualitative rapid diagnostic test were used for data collection. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, and Chi-square test. The relative risk, attributable risk, odds ratio, and likelihood ratio of malaria occurrence in exposed patients were determined by Chi-square (and Fisher's exact) test. The prevalence of asymptomatic malaria was 10.14% (63/621), with a higher prevalence among the pregnant women in the rural setting (12.21%; 37/303), than the urban setting (8.18%; 26/318). As indicated by the attributable risk, 21% of malaria incidence was attributed to absence of LLINs distribution in neighborhoods of the rural setting meanwhile 10% of malaria incidence is attributed to absence of LLINs distribution in neighborhoods of the urban setting. Regular screening for asymptomatic malaria in pregnancy and consistent free distribution of LLINs are recommended in endemic areas, especially in the rural settings.
Collapse
|