Pilot Study to Estimate the Burden and Distribution of Plasmodium Falciparum Malaria in Kalifabougou, Mali in Preparation for a Prospective Cohort Study of Naturally-Acquired Malaria Immunity

Plasmodium falciparum malaria remains a global public health threat. Leading malaria vaccine candidates confer only partial short-lived protection at best. An understanding of the mechanisms by which humans acquire malaria immunity through repeated P. falciparum infections may aid the development of a malaria vaccine. This pilor study is designed to initiate the epidemiological groundwork for a future prospective cohort study of acquired malaria immunity in Kalifabougou, Mali, a rural village of approximately 5 000 individuals who are exposed to seasonal P. falciparum transmission each year from July through December. This study will estimate the age-stratified point prevalence of P. falciparum infection before the malaria season and at the peak of the 6-month malaria season, and it will estimate the age-stratified incidence of symptomatic p. falciparum infection during the 6-month malaria season. The spatial distribution of asymptomatic P. falciparum infections and incident malaria cases within the village of Kalifabougou will be determined by merging the prevalence and incidence data with census and Global Positioning System (GPS) data....