Absence of asymptomatic malaria infections in an endemic Honduran region

Abstract

There has been considerable progress in the fight against malaria in the world. In Honduras we find a reduction of cases from more than 17,000 to 3,564 in the last decade. To meet malaria elimination goals, strategies should consider all malaria-infected individuals in its interventions, so efforts to identify asymptomatic infections become of greater value and interest. The present study aims to evaluate the prevalence of cases of asymptomatic malaria infection in 3 communities in the municipality of Iriona, Colón, Honduras by January 2015. A cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out in the communities of Ciriboya, Punta Piedra and Cusuna, Colón during January 2015. A simple random sample of 145 participants was included. The diagnosis of infection of asymptomatic malaria was made by thick blood smear, conventional PCR and nested PCR. Microscopic analysis did not detect thick blood smear positive samples, resulting in a prevalence of 0.00%. The molecular approach did not detect infections either. The findings of this study agree with the pattern of previous studies in Honduras and with the progress that has been made against malaria in the country. Active case detection is recommended for interventions where malaria transmission has been reduced to low levels, and its implementation in Honduras should be part of the comprehensive strategy of elimination programs.