Is malaria over-diagnosed? A world malaria day 2017 experience by Excellence and Friends Management Care Centre (EFMC) and partners, Abuja Nigeria
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Malaria remains a major cause of mortality across the world, but particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. WHO-sponsored World Malaria Day activity has helped to improve education and has contributed to a reduction in mortality globally in the past decade. However, much needs to be done still in Africa. We report on a World Malaria Day scheme in three primary Healthcare Facilities in and around the Abuja Federal Capital Territory in Nigeria in 2017. Activity included educational talks to pregnant women and nursing mothers of young children, with malarial testing, distribution of free mosquito nets and also medical treatment if needed. We found a large clinical over-diagnosis of malaria with simple fevers of any cause being reported as malaria. None of these cases were found to be due to malaria on formal malarial testing. We conclude that efforts should continue into education and prevention of malaria with insecticide-impregnated mosquito nets a key factor. However, over-diagnosis of malaria and the use of unnecessary antimalarial treatment may lead to parasite resistance to antimalarial treatment, morbidity from drug side-effects and potential mortality from not receiving the right treatment for other febrile illnesses. We recommend that malarial testing, particularly with simple blood film microscopy is implemented more widely across Africa, as it is simple to perform and allows effective management plans to be drawn up for individual patients.
Date Issued
2017-11-28
Date Acceptance
2017-08-20
Citation
Pan African Medical Journal, 2017, 28, pp.273-273
ISSN
1937-8688
Publisher
African Field Epidemiology Network
Start Page
273
End Page
273
Journal / Book Title
Pan African Medical Journal
Volume
28
Copyright Statement
© Obinna Ositadimma Oleribe et al. The Pan African Medical Journal - ISSN 1937-8688. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Identifier
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29881513
PII: PAMJ-28-273
Subjects
EFMC
Malaria
Nigeria
over-diagnosis
rapid diagnostic test
Antimalarials
Female
Fever
Health Education
Humans
Insecticide-Treated Bednets
Malaria
Medical Overuse
Microscopy
Mosquito Nets
Nigeria
Pregnancy
Publication Status
Published
Coverage Spatial
Uganda