Affiliation:
1. Australian Defence Force Malaria and Infectious Disease Institute, Brisbane, Australia;
2. Papua New Guinea Defence Force Health Services, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea;
3. School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Herston, Australia
Abstract
ABSTRACT.
The Papua New Guinean Defence Force (PNGDF) and the Australian Defence Force (ADF) work and train closely. Infectious diseases pose a health threat to both forces, but recent knowledge about the risk at military bases in Papua New Guinea is limited. To improve understanding, a collaborative cross-sectional survey was conducted (March–April 2019) at Lombrum Naval base (Manus province) and Moem Army barracks (Wewak, East Sepik province) plus its Vanimo outpost (Sandaun province). Clinical data, venous blood, and sputum were collected from PNGDF personnel (DF) from the three sites, with point-of-care testing conducted for malaria (microscopy and rapid diagnostic test [RDT]), lymphatic filariasis (RDT), glucose-6-phosphate-dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency (RDT), tuberculosis (GeneXpert), and hemoglobin level. Finger prick blood collected from family members residing at the Wewak base was tested for malaria and hemoglobin level. Overall, 235 DF and 793 family members completed the survey. Microscopy revealed malaria prevalence as 0.4% Plasmodium falciparum and 3.1% Plasmodium vivax among DF and 3.5% P. falciparum, 14.3% P. vivax, and 0.3% mixed P. falciparum/P. vivax among family members. Among DF, 3.9% were G6PD deficient and none tested positive for tuberculosis or for lymphatic filariasis antigen. Anemia was present in 6.5% of DF and 47.3% of family members, predominantly females. Results suggest ongoing exposure to malaria, particularly P. vivax, at study sites, whereas infections of lymphatic filariasis and tuberculosis were not detected. Survey results will inform the PNGDF and the ADF regarding vector-borne disease risk for future sustainable health and disease control interventions.
Publisher
American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Subject
Virology,Infectious Diseases,Parasitology
Reference44 articles.
1. Australia in the War of 1939–1945;Walker,1957
2. World Malaria Report 2021,2021
3. Random distribution of mixed species malaria infections in Papua New Guinea;Mehlotra,2000
4. Papua New Guinea Malaria Indicator Survey 2016–2017: Malaria Prevention, Infection and Treatment;Hetzel,2018
5. World Malaria Report 2022,2022
Cited by
1 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献