TITLE:
Severe Childhood Malaria in Two Health Districts of Cuvette-Congo
AUTHORS:
Moyen Engoba, Prudencia Joachinelle Malouono Moukassa, Géril Sekangue Obili, Lynda Tchidjo Ngamo, Georges Marius Moyen, Jean-Louis Nkoua
KEYWORDS:
Severe Malaria, Child, Cuvette-Congo
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Pediatrics,
Vol.12 No.3,
July
26,
2022
ABSTRACT: Introduction: Malaria is a public health problem. Severe forms of malaria are linked
to high mortality. Objective: To establish the cartography of severe malaria in
two health districts in Cuvette-Congo. Methodology: An analytical and
cross-sectional study was conducted from January to September 2019 in two
health districts of Cuvette-Congo. Children aged three months to 17 years diagnosed
with severe malaria were included. The epidemiological, clinical and
paraclinical variables were analyzed. The statistical tests used were Pearson’s
chi2 and the corrected Yates test. Results: Out of 806
children hospitalized, 277 had severe malaria (34.4%). There were 144 boys and
133 girls, an average of 60.9 months old. Anemia n = 247 (89.2%), repeated
seizures n = 66 (23.8%), were the signs of severity observed. The clinical
forms were isolated (n = 237) in 85.6% and associated (n = 40) in 14.4%, including
210 (88.6%) anemic form and 27 (11.4%) neurological form. The death occurred in
seven cases (2.5%). The predictors of death were coma, jaundice, hypoglycemia,
thrombocytopenia, hepatomegaly, undernutrition, dehydration and delayed
consultation. Conclusion: The large number of cases of severe malaria in
Cuvette, often in children under five years old, requires that the national
program for control of malaria be strengthened by insisting on a wide
distribution of long-lasting insecticide-treated mosquito nets.