A Sero-epidemiological Study of Vivax Malaria in Children Aged 9 Years Old and Younger Using IFA Method in Minab and Jask, Hormozgan Province, 2013-14

Malaria is a serious parasitic disease that happens in most of tropical, sub tropical and temperate areas, bearing considerable public health and socio-economic problems. Currently southeastern of Iran is counted as a malarious area affected by P.vivax and P.falciparum. Sero-epidemiological study is a selective method for detecting anti-plasmodia antibodies and its results could provide valuable data, and facilitate the implementation of malaria elimination program. This study was conducted to investigate anti malaria antibodies using IFA test method in children aged 9 and younger in Minab and Jask districts of Hormozgan province, Iran.
In this cross-sectional study a total of blood samples of 380 including 235 (61%) males with mean age of 6.1 years, and 145 (38.2%) females with mean age of 6.2 years were collected using finger pricked methods. Giemsa stained thin and thick blood smears were prepared from the recruited participants samples. A drop of the blood from each sample was spread onto a DNA banking card and one more drop was collected into microhematocrit tube for IFA test.
Results of the study showed that there was any detected positive case neither in microscopical examination nor in IFA test. Namely, there was not any active malaria transmission among the considered individuals in the districts under study.
According to the results of this study malaria elimination program is successfully progressing at the districts under study.