Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34930300›Full record

ArticleMalaria journal2021

Incidence of clinical malaria, acute respiratory illness, and diarrhoea in children in southern Malawi: a prospective cohort study.

Tinashe A Tizifa, Alinune N Kabaghe, Robert S McCann, William Nkhono, Spencer Mtengula, Willem Takken, Kamija S Phiri, Michele van Vugt

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Malaria journal, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
0.8field-weighted citation impact, top 25% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 7 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 4 institutions in 3 countries.

Tinashe A TizifaCenter for Tropical Medicine and Travel Medicine, Department of Infectious Diseases, Division of Internal Medicine, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Location Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. tizifat@gmail.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5040-2807
Alinune N KabagheCenter for Tropical Medicine and Travel Medicine, Department of Infectious Diseases, Division of Internal Medicine, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Location Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Robert S McCannSchool of Public Health and Family Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Malawi, Blantyre, Malawi.
William NkhonoSchool of Public Health and Family Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Malawi, Blantyre, Malawi.
Spencer MtengulaSchool of Public Health and Family Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Malawi, Blantyre, Malawi.
Willem TakkenLaboratory of Entomology, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
Kamija S PhiriSchool of Public Health and Family Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Malawi, Blantyre, Malawi.
Michele van VugtCenter for Tropical Medicine and Travel Medicine, Department of Infectious Diseases, Division of Internal Medicine, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Location Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
University of Malawi · MWAmsterdam UMC Location University of Amsterdam · NLUniversity of Maryland, Baltimore · USWageningen University & Research · NL

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMalaria, acute respiratory infections (ARIs) and diarrhoea are the leading causes of morbidity and mortality among children under 5 years old. Estimates of the malaria incidence are available from a previous study conducted in southern Malawi in the absence of community-led malaria control strategies; however, the incidence of the other diseases is lacking, owing to understudying and competing disease priorities. Extensive malaria control measures through a community participation strategy were implemented in Chikwawa, southern Malawi from May 2016 to reduce parasite prevalence and incidence. This study assessed the incidence of clinical malaria, ARIs and acute diarrhoea among under-five children in a rural community involved in malaria control through community participation.

methodsA prospective cohort study was conducted from September 2017 to May 2019 in Chikwawa district, southern Malawi. Children aged 6-48 months were recruited from a series of repeated cross-sectional household surveys. Recruited children were followed up two-monthly for 1 year to record details of any clinic visits to designated health facilities. Incidence of clinical malaria, ARIs and diarrhoea per child-years at risk was estimated, compared between age groups, area of residence and time.

resultsA total of 274 out of 281 children recruited children had complete results and contributed 235.7 child-years. Malaria incidence was 0.5 (95% CI (0.4, 0.5)) cases per child-years at risk, (0.04 in 6.0-11.9 month-olds, 0.5 in 12.0-23.9 month-olds, 0.6 in 24.0-59.9 month-olds). Incidences of ARIs and diarrhoea were 0.3 (95% CI (0.2, 0.3)), (0.1 in 6.0-11.9 month-olds, 0.4 in 12.0-23.9 month-olds, 0.3 in 24.0-59.9 month-olds), and 0.2 (95% CI (0.2, 0.3)), (0.1 in 6.0-11.9 month-olds, 0.3 in 12.0-23.9 month-olds, 0.2 in 24.0-59.9 month-olds) cases per child-years at risk, respectively. There were temporal variations of malaria and ARI incidence and an overall decrease over time.

conclusionIn comparison to previous studies, there was a lower incidence of clinical malaria in Chikwawa. The incidence of ARIs and diarrhoea were also low and decreased over time. The results are promising because they highlight the importance of community participation and the integration of malaria prevention strategies in contributing to disease burden reduction.

Indexed as

Acute DiseaseChild, PreschoolDiarrheaFemaleHumansIncidenceInfantMalariaMalawiMaleProspective StudiesRespiratory Tract DiseasesAcute respiratory infectionsCommunity engagementDiarrhoeaIncidenceMalariaMalawiUnder-five children

Identifiers

PMID34930300
PMCPMC8685799
OpenAlexW4200068394

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.