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Risk factors of visceral leishmaniasis: a case control study in north-western Ethiopia
journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-09, 08:10 authored by Solomon Yared, Kebede Kassaye, Araya Gebreselassie, Wessenseged Lemma, Essayas Akililu, Oscar D Kirstein, Balkew Meshesha, Alon Warburg, Teshome Gebre-Michael, Asrat HailuBackground Visceral leishmaniasis (VL, also called “kala-azar”), is a life threatening neglected tropical infectious disease which mainly affects the poorest of the poor. VL is prevalent in Ethiopia particularly in the northwest of the country. Understanding the risk factors of VL infection helps in its prevention and control. The aim of the present study was to identify the factors associated with VL. Methods A case–control study was carried out during the period of January-July 2013 in northwest Ethiopia. Cases and controls were diagnosed using clinical presentation, the rk39 rapid diagnostic test and Direct Agglutination Test (DAT). A total of 283 (84.8% males versus 15.2% females) participants were interviewed. 90 cases and 193 controls were involved, matched by age, sex and geographical location with a ratio of 1:2 (case: controls). Univariate and backward multivariate conditional logistic regression were used to identify risk factors of VL. Results Elevated odds of VL was associated with goat ownership (OR = 6.4; 95%: confidence interval [Cl]: 1.5-28.4), living in houses with cracked wall (OR = 6.4; 95% Cl: 1.6-25.6), increased family size (OR = 1.3; 95% Cl: 1.0-1.8) and the number of days spent in the farm field (OR = 1.1; 95% Cl: 1.0-1.2). However, daily individual activities around the home and farm fields, mainly sleeping on a bed (OR = 0.2; 95%: Cl 0.03-0.9), sleeping outside the house under a bed net (OR = 0.1; 95% Cl: 0.02-0.36)] and smoking plant parts in the house during the night time (OR = 0.1; 95% Cl: 0.01-0.6) were associated with decreased odds of being VL case. Conclusion Our findings showed that use of bed net and smoke could be helpful for the prevention of VL in the area particularly among individuals who spend most of their time in the farm. VL control effort could be focused on improving housing conditions, such as sealing cracks and crevices inside and outside houses. Further research is warranted to elucidate the role of goats in the transmission of L. donovani, assess the impact of bed nets and the role of the traditional practice of smoking plants.
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Publication status
- Published
File Version
- Published version
Journal
Parasites and VectorsISSN
1756-3305Publisher
BioMed CentralExternal DOI
Issue
470Volume
7Department affiliated with
- Global Health and Infection Publications
Research groups affiliated with
- Wellcome Trust Brighton and Sussex Centre for Global Health Research Publications
Full text available
- Yes
Peer reviewed?
- Yes
Legacy Posted Date
2017-10-04First Open Access (FOA) Date
2017-10-04First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date
2017-10-04Usage metrics
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