Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2019 Dec 10;14(12):e0225219.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0225219. eCollection 2019.

Malaria screening at the workplace in Cameroon

Christian Nchetnkou Mbohou  1 , Loick Pradel Kojom Foko  1 , Hervé Nyabeyeu Nyabeyeu  1 , Calvin Tonga  1 , Larissa Kouodjip Nono  2 , Lafortune Kangam  2 , Godlove Wepnje Bunda  3 , Isabelle Matip Mbou  2 , Etoile Odette Ngo Hondt  1 , Alex Joel Koumbo Mbe  1 , Nicolas Policarpe Nolla  4 , Leopold Gustave Lehman  1   5
Affiliations

Malaria screening at the workplace in Cameroon

Christian Nchetnkou Mbohou et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Malaria remains a major health problem in Cameroon; It accounts for 38% of consultations, 24% of deaths and 36.8% of absenteeism in the country. The negative economic impact of malaria has encouraged a new control approach targeting companies. In this regard, a cross sectional study was conducted from February 2015 to June 2017 in 14 companies in the town of Douala. This study aimed at determining the prevalence, control practices of employees and identifying associated factors with malaria. A total of 2705 workers were interviewed and systematically screened for malaria using LED fluorescence microscopy (CyScope®). All positive cases were given a malaria treatment. The prevalence of malaria and asymptomatic malaria was 30.1% and 28.9% respectively; asymptomatic malaria accounted for 95.7% of all positive diagnostic test. Malaria infection was significantly higher in employees aged 36-60 years (30.5%) and having completed primary studies (36%). ITNs ownership and utilization were 86.36% and 77.23% respectively. The risk for malaria infection has significantly decreased with age and educational level while the employees' level of education and size of households were significantly associated with the regular utilization of ITNs. This is the first study assessing malaria prevalence and risk factors in workplace in Cameroon and using a novel diagnostic tool. This study outlines a high prevalence of malaria infection, especially asymptomatic carriage, high rates of ITNs ownership and utilization, as well as the influence of level of education, age and household size as associated factors. Active case detection of asymptomatic carriers through systematic screening of employees at workplace and their treatment is feasible with the Cyscope microscope and could be a good complement to ongoing control strategies.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Prevalence of malaria infection with respect to company.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. WHO. World malaria report 2018. 20, avenue Appia CH-1211 Geneva 27; 2018 p. 240p
    1. Lehman LG, Kojom FLP, Tonga C, Nyabeyeu NH, Eboumbou EC, Kouodjip NL, et al. Epidemiology of malaria using LED fluorescence microscopy among schoolchildren in Douala, Cameroon. Int J Trop Dis Health. 2018; 29(1): 1–13. 10.9734/IJTDH/2018/38804 - DOI
    1. Kimbi HK, Awah NW, Ndamukong KJ, Mbuh JV. Malaria infection and its consequences in school children. East Afr Med J. 2005; 82: 92–97. 10.4314/eamj.v82i2.9261 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Aheisibwe AR. The effect of malaria on agricultural production in Uganda. Master degree of Arts in economics in Makerere University. 2011. 1–31.
    1. Leighton C, Foster R. Economic impacts of malaria in Kenya and Nigeria. Abt Associates Health financing and sustainability project. 1993. PDF Version. 98p (In French).