Seroepidemiologic investigations of malaria in Guyana
Lobel, H.O.; Nájera, A.J.; Ch'en, W.I.; Munroe, P.; Mathews, H.M.
Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 79(12): 275-284
1976
ISSN/ISBN: 0022-5304 PMID: 1011324 Document Number: 97458
The results of longitudinal seroepidemiologic malaria surveys with the indirect haemagglutination test in 4 sectors in the interior of Guyana did not suggest recent malaria transmission. Indigenous malaria cases had not been detected in these sectors since 1968 but malaria surveillance here had been incomplete. The multi-stage cluster sampling method used proved to be efficient and permitted the survey of a large and sparsely populated area to be concentrated in relatively few localities. Observation of a group of 147 seropositive and seronegative persons after one year showed a 4-fold or greater decline of antibody titres in 5% of the cohort population and no such titre increases were seen, thus confirming the absence of recent malaria infections. The difference between the past infection probabilities of the age groups over and under 20 years old suggests that the disappearance of malaria from the interior was related more to the elimination of malaria transmission along the coast than to the specific malaria campaign in the interior. [AS].