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Malaria micro-stratification using routine surveillance data in Western Kenya

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  • V.A. Alegana
  • L. Suiyanka
  • P.M. Macharia
  • G. Ikahu-Muchangi
  • R.W. Snow
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Article number22
<mark>Journal publication date</mark>7/01/2021
<mark>Journal</mark>Malaria Journal
Issue number1
Volume20
Number of pages9
Publication StatusPublished
<mark>Original language</mark>English

Abstract

Background: There is an increasing need for finer spatial resolution data on malaria risk to provide micro-stratification to guide sub-national strategic plans. Here, spatial-statistical techniques are used to exploit routine data to depict sub-national heterogeneities in test positivity rate (TPR) for malaria among patients attending health facilities in Kenya. Methods: Routine data from health facilities (n = 1804) representing all ages over 24 months (2018–2019) were assembled across 8 counties (62 sub-counties) in Western Kenya. Statistical model-based approaches were used to quantify heterogeneities in TPR and uncertainty at fine spatial resolution adjusting for missingness, population distribution, spatial data structure, month, and type of health facility. Results: The overall monthly reporting rate was 78.7% (IQR 75.0–100.0) and public-based health facilities were more likely than private facilities to report ≥ 12 months (OR 5.7, 95% CI 4.3–7.5). There was marked heterogeneity in population-weighted TPR with sub-counties in the north of the lake-endemic region exhibiting the highest rates (exceedance probability > 70% with 90% certainty) where approximately 2.7 million (28.5%) people reside. At micro-level the lowest rates were in 14 sub-counties (exceedance probability <30% with 90% certainty) where approximately 2.2 million (23.1%) people lived and indoor residual spraying had been conducted since 2017. Conclusion: The value of routine health data on TPR can be enhanced when adjusting for underlying population and spatial structures of the data, highlighting small-scale heterogeneities in malaria risk often masked in broad national stratifications. Future research should aim at relating these heterogeneities in TPR with traditional community-level prevalence to improve tailoring malaria control activities at sub-national levels. © 2021, The Author(s).