Saudi Journal of Nursing and Health Care (SJNHC)
Volume-8 | Issue-02 | 50-60
Original Research Article
Prevalence of Malaria among Children Aged 06 to 59 Months Admitted to the Bougairé Health Center in Bongor, Chad
DJIMRANGAR Olivier, KAYALTO Barnabas, BAKARNGA-VIA Issakou, ABDELSALAM Tidjani
Published : Feb. 11, 2025
Abstract
The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of malaria in children aged between 06 and 59 months in the Bougairé health center in Bongor, Chad. It was a cross-sectional, prospective study running from 1 March to August 2023. The children selected were all given a complete physical examination by the doctors or interns on the ward. A thick blood sample or rapid diagnostic test (RDT) was performed in the laboratory on admission to confirm the diagnosis. Microscopic diagnosis of Plasmodium was carried out using a light microscope under an oil immersion system with an x100 objective; this was recorded in each patient's file. During this study, 813 patients were consulted, of whom 328 cases of malaria were diagnosed on the basis of clinical and biological arguments. Malaria cases accounted for 40.34% of consultations, including 153 cases of uncomplicated malaria (46.7%) and 175 cases of severe malaria (53.3%). The 36-59 month age group was the most represented (50.3%), with males predominating (52.0%). Most of the children's parents did not attend school (87.8%). Mothers were housewives (89.9%), while fathers were mainly farmers (67.0%) and followed by shepherds (10.0%). Fever (99.6%), vomiting (59.9%) and abdominal pain (36.0%) were the most frequent reasons for consultation among the children in the study. The study revealed that the most commonly used antimalarial drug was Artemether injection, which accounted for 57.9% of cases. This was followed by artemisinin-based combination therapy, ACT (27.4%), and injectable artesunate with ACT relay (8.2%). Quinine infusion with CTA relay was the least used drug in the study (6.4%). Management complied with national malaria control guidelines in 43.7% of cases. These results justify the continuing training of health workers at the Bougaire Health Center to comply with national ...