%0 Journal Article
%T Malaria, Typhoid Fever, and Their Coinfection among Febrile Patients at a Rural Health Center in Northwest Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study
%A Meseret Birhanie
%A Belay Tessema
%A Getachew Ferede
%A Mengistu Endris
%A Bamlaku Enawgaw
%J Advances in Medicine
%D 2014
%R 10.1155/2014/531074
%X Background. Malaria and typhoid fever are major public health problems in tropical and subtropical countries. People in endemic areas are at risk of contracting both infections concurrently. Objectives. The study was aimed at determining the prevalence and associated risk factors of malaria, typhoid, and their coinfection among febrile patients. Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 200 febrile patients suspected for malaria and/or typhoid fever from April to May, 2013, at Ayinba Health Center, Northwest Ethiopia. Blood samples were collected for blood culture, Widal test, and blood film preparation. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20 statistical software. Results. The prevalence of malaria was 36.5% (). Among these 32 (43.8%), 30 (41.1%) and 11 (15.1%) were positive for P. falciparum, P. vivax, and mixed infections, respectively. The seroprevalence of typhoid fever was 38 (19%), but 1 (0.5%) with blood culture. Malaria typhoid fever coinfection was 13 (6.5%). 2¨C5-year-old children and poor hand washing habit were significantly associated with malaria and typhoid infection, respectively (). Conclusions. The prevalence of malaria and typhoid fever was found high. Further studies should be done on the other determinants of malaria and typhoid fever coinfection in different seasons and different study areas. 1. Introduction Malaria is one of the febrile illnesses and the most common fatal disease in the world caused by one or more species of plasmodium. These are Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium ovale, Plasmodium malariae, and Plasmodium knowlesi. Approximately half of the world population is at risk of malaria. Most of malaria cases and deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa. According to the World malaria report 2011, there were about 216 million cases of malaria and an estimated 655,000 deaths in 2010 [1]. Malaria is the most communicable disease in Ethiopia and it accounts for about 30% of the overall disability adjusted life years lost. Approximately 68% (54.2 million) of the total population of 78 million lives in malaria risk areas. P. falciparum and P. vivax are the dominant species of malaria in Ethiopia, with 60% and 40% relative frequencies, respectively. Plasmodium falciparum is a predominant species in endemic areas and causes complicated disease and death in the country [2]. Typhoid fever (enteric fever) is a systemic prolonged febrile illness caused by certain Salmonella serotypes. Salmonella enterica serotype typhi (S. typhi) and Salmonella enterica serotype paratyphi (S. paratyphi A, S. paratyphi B, and S.
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/amed/2014/531074/