Mortality and morbidity from malaria among children in a rural area of The Gambia, West Africa

Authors:
  • ABA.K. Bradley
    A.K. Bradley
  • AGA.M. Greenwood
    A.M. Greenwood
  • KJK. Jammeh
    K. Jammeh
  • KMK. Marsh
    K. Marsh
  • STS. Tulloch
    S. Tulloch
  • FOF.S.J. Oldfield
    F.S.J. Oldfield
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Abstract
Mortality and morbidity from malaria were measured among 3000 children under the age of 7 years in a rural area of The Gambia, West Africa. Using a post-mortem questionnaire technique, malaria was identified as the probable cause of 4% of infant deaths and of 25% of deaths in children aged 1 to 4 years. The malaria mortality rate was 6.3 per 1000 per year in infants and 10.7 per 1000 per year in children aged 1 to 4 years. Morbidity surveys suggested that children under the age of 7 years experienced about one clinical episode of malaria per year. Calculation of attributable fractions showed that malaria may be responsible for about 40% of episodes of fever in children. Although the overall level of parasitaemia showed little seasonal variation, the clinical impact of malaria was highly seasonal; all malaria deaths and a high proportion of febrile episodes were recorded during a limited period at the end of the rainy season.

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