Gillon Ilombe
The Kongo Central (KC) Province has a malaria
incidence of 163 cases/1000 inhabitants which is close
to the national average of 153.4/1000.
However, the malaria prevalence likely varies both
between and within Health Zones(HZ) in this province.
The objective of this study was to determine malaria
epidemiology and transmission among children aged 0
to 10 years in Kisantu HZ in DRC.
A community based cross-sectional study was conducted
in November 2017 using multi-stage sampling. A total
of 30 villages from Kisantu HZ were randomly selected.
Malaria prevalence was measured using thick blood
for mean and proportion comparisons, respectively.
Determinants of malaria infection were identified by
logistic regression analysis.
A total of 1790 children were included in this study in
30 villages in the Kisantu HZ. The overall prevalence in
Kisantu HZ according to the TBS was 14.8%. The
malaria distribution was heterogeneous between the
villages with prevalences ranging from 0 to 53%. The
risk factors(RF) significantly associated with malaria
infection were sandy or wooden floors OR: 17 (95%CI:
9-34) and a moderate or poor income 2 (95%CI: 1-2).
Within the same health zones, it is not a good approach
to consider the prevalence of malaria as homogenuous:
local variations, and malaria control strategies should
also be considered. Moreover, socio economic and
malnutrition issues were highlighted as RF for
asymptomatic carriage.