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The decline in paediatric malaria admissions on the coast of Kenya

Emelda A Okiro1, Simon I Hay, Priscilla W Gikandi

  • 1Malaria Public Health & Epidemiology Group, Centre for Geographic Medicine Research - Coast, Kenya Medical Research Institute/Wellcome Trust Research Programme, P,O, Box 43640, 00100 GPO, Nairobi, Kenya. eokiro@nairobi.kemri-wellcome.org

Malaria Journal
|November 17, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Malaria admissions in Kenyan children significantly declined due to control efforts like insecticide-treated nets and antimalarial medicines. This indicates a major shift in malaria epidemiology on the Kenyan coast.

Area of Science:

  • Public Health
  • Epidemiology
  • Tropical Medicine

Background:

  • Limited data exists on the health impacts of widespread malaria control strategies in Africa.
  • Understanding these impacts is crucial for effective public health interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze trends in pediatric malaria admissions on the Kenyan coast.
  • To investigate the association between malaria control efforts and observed changes in disease burden.

Main Methods:

  • Paediatric admission data from three Kenyan coastal hospitals (Kilifi, Msambweni, Malindi) spanning January 1999 to March 2007 were analyzed.
  • Time-series models were employed, adjusting for non-malaria admissions, rainfall seasonality, and trends.

Main Results:

  • A significant decline in pediatric malaria admissions was observed across all hospitals since January 1999.
  • Declines ranged from 28% to 63%, occurring independently of rainfall patterns and alongside stable non-malaria admissions.
  • Time-series analysis strongly suggests malaria-specific control interventions drove the observed reduction.

Conclusions:

  • The study provides evidence of a changing disease burden on the Kenyan coast, with expanded malaria control interventions as the most likely cause.
  • While precise attribution is difficult, the findings point to a significant malaria epidemiological transition in the region.
  • Interventions such as insecticide-treated nets and antimalarial drug availability are key factors in this transition.
Abstract

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