The emergence and spread of drug resistance to antimalarial drugs pose a severe threat to effective malaria control and treatment. Although sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine resistance is well-documented, it is still the drug of choice for treating intermittent resistance. Molecular markers play a crucial role in tracking and understanding the prevalence of antimalarial drug resistance. Currently, there is insufficient information on the prevalence of molecular markers associated with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine resistance in P. falciparum. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to determine the pooled prevalence of antimalaria drug resistance-conferring markers associated with sulphadoxine-pyrimethamineine in Plasmodium falciparum in East Africa. Systematic searche was performed to retrieve articles from PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct databases, and Google Scholar search engine. Sixteen potential studies that provided important data on markers for sulphadoxine-pyrimethamineine resistance in Plasmodium falciparum were systematically reviewed and analyzed. Nine antimalarial drug resistance markers responsible for sulphadoxine-pyrimethamineine resistance in Plasmodium falciparum were extracted separately into Microsoft Excel and analyzed using STATA 17.0. The inverse of variance was done to evaluate heterogeneity across studies. A funnel plot was used to determine the presence of publication bias. A trim-and-fill-meta-analysis was carried out to generate a bias-adjusted effect estimate. A random effect model was used to determine the pooled prevalence of markers responsible for sulphadoxine-pyrimethamineine resistance. Subgroup analysis was performed based on country and year of publication. A total of 16 studies were included for this systematic review and meta-analysis.The molecular markers like dhfr (N51I, C59R, S108N, 108N, 59R, and I164L), and dhps (A437G, K540E, & 540E) were selected for meta-analysis. From this meta-analysis, the pooled prevalence of dhfr N51I, dhfr C59R, dhfr S108N, dhfr 108N, dhfr 59R, and dhfr I164L was 88.6%, 85.3%, 89.6%, 92.2%, 71.5%, and 3.9%, respectively. Likewise, the aggregated prevalence of dhps A437G, dhps K540E, and dhps 540E was 90.2%, 80.9%, and 91.5%, respectively. The subgroup analysis based on year of publication showed that the pooled prevalence of dhfr N51I, dhfr C59R, dhfr S108N, dhps A437G, and dhps K540E, in studies conducted 2014–2018 was 97.11%, 90.57%, 96.45%, 90.89%, and 89.45%, respectively, while it was 82.03%, 81.78%, 85.12%, 89.24%, and 73.98%, respectively, in studies conducted 2019–2023. On the other hand, country-based analysis showed that the pooled prevalence of dhfr N51I, dhfr C59R, dhfr S108N, dhps A437G, and dhps K540E, in Kenya was 85.88%, 84.02%, 86.56%, 90.7%, and 77.55%, respectively. This systematic review and meta-analysis reveal a high prevalence of drug resistance markers associated with sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine resistance in Plasmodium falciparum across the East African region. This underscores the significant challenges in managing malaria infections caused by Plasmodium falciparum in the region. Therefore, regular monitoring, identification, and limiting of drug-resistance markers and drug-resistant P. falciparum strains must be sustained to ensure the effectiveness of malaria treatment.

Antimicrobial resistant bacteria among hospitalized patients are becoming a major public health threat worldwide, mainly in developing countries. Infections by these multidrug resistant pathogens cause high rate of mortality, prolong hospital stays, and affect individual and country economies in greater amounts. Thus, this study aimed to assess the bacterial profile, antimicrobial susceptibility status, and associated factors of isolates from hospitalized patients at the Dessie Comprehensive Specialized Hospital. This hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted between February and April 2021. Consecutive sampling was used to select the study participants. All bacterial isolates were identified using standard bacteriological techniques. Antibiotic susceptibility testing was performed using disk diffusion technique. The data was analyzed using SPSS version 25. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression were used. A P-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Of 384 clinical samples (blood, urine, stool, wound, vaginal discharge, and ear discharge) processed 180 (46.9%) were culture positive. Overall, Escherichia coli was the predominant isolate (41; 22.8%), followed by Staphylococcus aureus (36; 20%). Most of the isolates were from blood (70; 38.9%). The level of overall drug resistance of the gram-negative bacteria isolates for ampicillin, tetracycline, and cotrimoxazole was (104; 88.1%), (79; 75.9%), and (78; 75.0%), respectively. The overall multidrug rate of isolates was 143 (79.4%). Variables such as history of invasive procedures, chronic underlying diseases, history of hospitalization, and habit of eating raw animal products were statistically significant for the acquisition of bacterial infection. E. Coli and S. aureus were the most common isolates. Most of the isolates were resistant to commonly prescribed antibiotics. And also, consumption of raw animal products, chronic underlying disease, previous hospitalization, history of invasive procedures, and educational status were associated with the acquisition of bacterial infections. Therefore, routine antimicrobial susceptibility testing, proper patient management, wise use of antibiotics in clinical settings and health education are recommended.

Anopheles stephensi has been a primary cause of malaria spread in urban areas. The World Health Organization announced a threat alert in 2019 that highlighted the An. stephensi outbreak in the Horn of Africa. Currently, there is insufficient information on the prevalence of An. stephensi. Therefore, this systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to determine the pooled prevalence of An. stephensi in Horn of Africa. Systematic search was performed to retrieve articles from PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct databases, and Google Scholar search engine. Fourteen potential studies that provided important data on An. stephensi were systematically reviewed and analyzed. The prevalence of An. stephensi was extracted separately into Microsoft Excel and analyzed using STATA 17.0. The Inverse of variance was done to evaluate heterogeneity across studies. A funnel plot and an Egger’s test were used to evaluate the potential publication bias. A trim-and-fill-meta-analysis was carried out to generate a bias-adjusted effect estimate. A random effect model was used to determine the pooled prevalence of An. stephensi. Subgroup analysis was performed based on year of publication and country. A total of 14 studies were included for this systematic review and meta-analysis. From this meta-analysis, the pooled prevalence of An. stephensi was 41.26%. The subgroup analysis based on year of publication showed that the pooled prevalence of An. stephensi in studies conducted 2014–2018 was 99%, while it was 36.82% in studies conducted 2019–2024. On the other hand, country-based analysis showed that the pooled prevalence of An. stephensi in Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somaliland, and Sudan was 10.5%, 17.3%, 55.30%, 9.90%, 48.70%, and 24.63%, respectively. This systematic review and meta-analysis reveal a high prevalence of An. stephensi across the Horn of Africa region. This underscores the significant challenges in managing malaria infections transmitted by An. stephensi in the region. Health officials must adjust current vector control measures to incorporate An. stephensi with the local malaria vector species. Also, regular identification and limiting of An. stephensi must be sustained to ensure the effectiveness of malaria prevention.

Malaria and schistosomiasis are two parasite illnesses that share transmission sites in distinct tropical climates. Malaria-schistosomiasis coinfection is widespread in Africa. Also, malaria and Schistosoma mansoni coinfection cause exacerbation of health consequences and co-morbidities. However, there is limited pooled data on the prevalence of malaria and Schistosoma mansoni coinfection in sub-Saharan Africa. This systemic review and meta-analysis aimed to assess the prevalence of malaria and Schistosoma mansoni coinfection in sub-Saharan Africa. Systematic search on PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, and Science Direct was used to identify relevant studies following reviews and meta-analysis guidelines. A total of eighteen relevant articles on the prevalence of malaria and Schistosoma mansoni coinfection were identified for final systematic review and meta-analysis. Extracted data was analyzed using STATA software version 17.0. The absence or presence of publication bias was assessed using Egger's test. Heterogeneity across studies was checked by I² statistics; if the I² value was ≥50 %, significant heterogeneity was considered and subgroup analysis was done. A total of 18 studies were included for this systematic review and meta-analysis. From this meta-analysis, the pooled prevalence of malaria and Schistosoma mansoni coinfection was 17.39 % (95 % CI: 5.94–28.84). There was significant heterogeneity in prevalence of coinfection, with I² values greater than or equal to 99.97 % at P = 0.00. The subgroup analysis based on year of publication showed that the pooled prevalence of malaria and Schistosoma mansoni coinfection in studies conducted 2014–2018 was 20.73 % (95 % CI: 0.66–40.80), while it was 14.68 % (95 % CI: 1.02–28.34) in studies conducted 2019–2024. On the other hand, subgroup analysis on diagnostic techniques showed significant differences in the pooled prevalence of malaria and Schistosoma mansoni coinfection. This systematic review and meta-analysis showed that malaria and Schistosoma mansoni coinfection are prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa.This highlights the region's major challenges in controlling malaria and Schistosoma mansoni coinfections.To ensure the efficiency of coinfections control and treatment, regular monitoring, identification, and reduction of the prevalence of malaria and Schistosoma mansoni coinfection must be maintained. Furthermore, cooperative efforts at local, countrywide, and global levels are necessary to address the multifaceted factors causal to malaria-S.mansoni coinfection.

Malaria is a serious global public health problem, which is caused by genus Plasmodium. Resistance of the human malaria parasite to antimalarial drugs is a public health concern in malaria endemic countries. Chloroquine is resistant for both P. vivax and P. falciparum. Chloroquine resistance is understood throughout all of Africa's P. falciparum endemic regions. Molecular markers play a crucial role in tracking and understanding the prevalence of antimalarial drug resistance. Currently, there is inadequate information on the prevalence of molecular markers of chloroquine resistance in malaria parasites. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to determine the pooled prevalence of molecular markers of chloroquine resistance in malaria parasites in East Africa. Systematic search was performed to retrieve articles from PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct, and the Google Scholar search engine. Twenty potential studies that provided important data on markers of chloroquine resistance in malaria parasites were systematically reviewed and analyzed. Five antimalarial drug resistance markers of chloroquine resistance were extracted separately into Microsoft Excel and analyzed using STATA 17.0. The Inverse of variance (I²) was done to evaluate heterogeneity across studies. The funnel plot and the Egger's test were used to determine the existence or absence of publication bias. A trim-and-fill meta-analysis was carried out to generate a bias-adjusted effect estimate. A random effect model was used to determine the pooled prevalence of molecular markers associated with chloroquine resistance in malaria parasites. Subgroup analysis was performed based on country and year of publication. A total of 20 studies were included for this systematic review and meta-analysis. The molecular markers like K76T, 76T, N86Y, Y184F, and 86Y were selected for meta-analysis. From this meta-analysis, the pooled prevalence of K76T, 76T, N86Y, Y184F, and 86Y was 34.5%, 47.3%, 43.8%, 58.3%, and 29.2%, respectively. After adjusting for publication bias, the estimated pooled prevalence of K76T, 76T, N86Y, Y184F, and 86Y were 34.5%, 47.3%, 43.8%, 58.3%, and 29.2%, respectively. Meta-analysis showed a significant difference in all molecular marker prevalence like K76T and 86Y among studies on year of publication except 76T, N86Y, and Y184F. In addition, the meta-analysis showed a significant difference in all molecular marker prevalence like K76T, 76T, N86Y, Y184F, and 86Y among studies at the country level. The findings of this systematic review and meta-analysis concerning the molecular markers of chloroquine resistance of malaria parasites in East Africa revealed a significant prevalence of antimalarial drug resistance markers of chloroquine. As a result, continued surveillance and monitoring of the prevalence of molecular markers of chloroquine resistance, identification and limitation of drug-resistant malaria parasite strains, and development of new antimalarial treatments are required to guide malaria treatment policies, interventions, control, and elimination of malaria worldwide.

Background: Malaria is a disease transmitted by vectors and caused by unicellular Plasmodium parasites. Malaria pathogenesis is associated with the ABO phenotype. However, there is little information on the frequency of malaria disease and its relationship with the ABO blood group in the study area. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of malaria infection and its association with the ABO blood group at Woldia Comprehensive Specialized Hospital.Method: An institutional‐based cross‐sectional study was conducted from December 3, 2022, to February 30, 2023. Convenient sampling was used for selecting the study participants. To identify malaria parasites, thick and thin blood films were made. Additionally, blood was drawn to identify the ABO blood group type. Before being analyzed with SPSS software Version 27, the data was coded and entered into EpiData Version 3.1. To ascertain the variable’s association, a logistic regression was done.Results: Out of 192 patients that attended Woldia Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, 16 (8.3%) were found to be infected with Plasmodium parasites using microscopy. Among them, 9 (4.7%), 5 (2.6%), and 2 (1.0%) had Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium vivax, or mixed infections, respectively. As a result, 30.7%, 25.5%, 24.5%, and 19.3% of the participants had blood types A, B, AB, and O, respectively (AOR = 2.359, 95% CI: 1.03–12.289, p = 0.03).Conclusion and Recommendation: The total number of microscopically confirmed malaria parasites was 8.3%. P. falciparum was dominant over P. vivax. Individuals with blood group O were less likely to get severe malaria than those with other blood groups. Based on the findings of this study, we recommend that additional studies investigate the probable relationship between the ABO blood group phenotype and malaria infection.