5048.0: Wednesday, November 15, 2000 - Board 4

Abstract #14066

Malaria among expatriate workers and dependents in Uganda, East Africa

David Jarvis Muhovich, RN, MS, MPH, Department of Nursing, Bethel College, 3900 Behel Drive, St Paul, MN 55112, (651) 638-6560, d-muhovich@bethel.edu, Debra K Olson, RN, MPH, Schol of Public Health - Division of Environmental and Occupational Health, University of Minnesota, and Sharon K. Ostwald, RN, PhD, Graduate School - School of Nursing, University of Minnesota.

Malaria is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in Uganda; its effects are severe on Ugandans and non-Ugandans (expatriates) alike. This paper reports on malaria prevention, diagnostic methods, and treatment activities of 292 expatriate workers and their dependents from 15 North American and European agencies working in Uganda between March 1992 and May 1993. Prevention behaviors reported by these individuals include home screens (82.1%), chemoprophylaxis usage (73.9%), and mosquito bed-net usage (43.8%). Eighty persons reported contracting malaria at least once during the 15 months of the study period for a rate of 57.1 episodes/year/100 persons (two to seven times higher than other studies). The majority of expatriate workers in this study (72.8%) sought confirmation of the diagnosis of malaria at laboratory facilities in Uganda and were treated most consistently with HalfanŽ, quinine, and FansidarŽ. The mean number of workdays lost due to malaria was 5.8 days per worker (R-0-30, M=4.0) with an additional 5.4 days of low productivity reported (R=0-28, M=3.0). While the effect of travel on the malarial rate is uncertain, those expatriates with work-related travel showed an increased risk with a RR of 1.83 (CI 1.07, 3.12).

Learning Objectives:

    At the conclusion of the session, the participant in this session will be able to:
  1. Describe the prevention, diagnostic, and treatment activities of a sample of expatriate workers in Uganda, East Africa.
  2. Articulate the relation between the prevention activities of these workers and geographic and social factors that were/are present in the Western and East African health care system.
  3. Evaluate the perceived impact of the plethora of prevention, diagnostic, and treatment options related to malaria so that health professionals can modify their advice giving activities for persons travelling and working in malaria endemic areas.

Keywords: International Health, Occupational Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.

The 128th Annual Meeting of APHA