Molecular Characteristics And Immuno-Epidemiology of Plasm Odium Falciparum Infections in School Children at Dodowa

Abstract

Malaria is a mosquito-borne protozoal disease caused by species o f the genus Plasmodium. It is characterised by acute febrile illness which may be expressed as periodic paroxysms occurring every' 48 or 72 hours with afebrile and relatively asymptomatic intervals and the tendency to recrudesce or relapse over a period of months to many years (Gilles and Warrel. 1993). Other major symptoms of malaria are rigors/chills, vomiting, convulsion, headache, drowsiness and muscleskeletal pain. It is a significant cause of abortion, stillbirth, child mortality, low birth weight, death in pregnant women, impaired growth in children and loss ol productive activity in adults (T D R , 1987). Malaria is widespread and endemic throughout many parts ol the world, especially the tropics and subtropical regions, ll is estimated to kill between 1.5 and 2 7 million people every year. Another 300 to 500 million people have the disease and one third of all mankind live in zone: where they are exposed to the risk of infection (Butler. 1997). The vast majority of malaria deaths occur among young children in Africa, especially in remote rural areas with poor access to health services. Outside tropical Africa, deaths from malaria occur principally among non-immune people who become infected with P falciparum in areas where appropriate diagnosis and treatment are not av ailable ( I heander, l c>9]) 1 he enormous number of liv es and labour lost together with the cost of treatment of patients exerts a negative impact on development and makes malaria a major economic burden ( 11)R, 1993). Chemotherapy, hitherto the most effective control method has become less effective as a result of the development of drug resistant malaria parasites, in addition to insecticide resistance in the anophelinc vectors (Gilles and Warrel, 1993). This has led to a focus on antimalaria vaccine development as an additional tool for the control of the disease. The four parasite species that infect man are P. vivax, P malarias, P ovals and P falciparum, the latter being by far the most lethal. Plasmodium vivax has the widest geographical range. It is prevalent in the tropic and subtropical regions and is also found in some temperate zones. Plasmodium m alarias is patchily distributed over tropical Africa, Eastern Asia, Oceania and Amazon area. Plasmodium falciparum is the commonest malaria parasite in tropics and subtropics and is predominant over the same range as P. m alarias It is mainly found in East and West Africa. Guyana and parts of India. Plasmodium ovals is main!) found in tropical regions such as West Pacific regions, southern China. Burma and South East Asia (W l l(). 1993).