[Malaria in Gabon. I. Study of 500 children with fever in Libreville]

Abstract

Among 500 febrile children who came for medical examination in the Pediatric Department at the Hôpital Général de Libreville, 29.2% were infected by malaria. P. falciparum was the most common (96.7%), P. malariae and P. ovale were sparsely present. Rarely detected in people consulting for fever, shivering and headache were the two symptoms directly related to paludism. There is a direct correlation between the size of the spleen and the rate of infestation. Screening among babies from 3 to 6 months' old, shows 13% already infected. The top of malaria incidence lies between 2 and 3 years of age (42% were infected).