Health centre versus home presumptive diagnosis of malaria in southern Ghana: Implications for home-based care policy

Samuel K. Dunyo, Edwin A. Afari, Kwadwo A. Koram, Collins K. Ahorlu, Ismaela Abubakar, Francis K. Nkrumah

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

33 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

A study was conducted in 1997 to compare the accuracy of presumptive diagnosis of malaria in children aged 1-9 years performed by caretakers of the children to that of health centre staff in 2 ecological zones in southern Ghana. Similar symptoms were reported in the children at home and at the health centre. In the home setting, symptoms were reported the same day that they occurred, 77.6% of the children with a report of fever were febrile (axillary temperature ≥ 37.5°C)and 64.7% of the reports of malaria were parasitologically confirmed. In the health centre, the median duration of symptoms before a child was seen was 3 days (range 1-14 days), 58.5% of the children with a report of fever were febrile and 62.6% of the clinically diagnosed cases were parasitologically confirmed. In the 2 settings almost all the infections were due to Plasmodium falciparum. Parasite density was 3 times higher in the health centre cases compared to the home-diagnosed cases. Early and appropriate treatment of malaria detected in children by caretakers may prevent complications that arise as a result of persistence of symptoms and attainment of high parasitaemic levels.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)285-288
Number of pages4
JournalTransactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Volume94
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2000
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Children
  • Ghana
  • Health centre
  • Home
  • Malaria
  • Plasmodium falciparum
  • Presumptive diagnosis

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