Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 12
Delenasaw Yewhalaw, Worku Legesse, Wim Van Bortel,
Solomon Gebre-Selassie, Helmut Kloos, Luc Duchateau,
and Niko Speybroeck
INTRODUCTION
Ethiopia plans to increase its electricity power supply by 5-fold over the next 5 years
to fulfill the needs of its people and support the economic growth based on large
hydropower dams. Building large dams for hydropower generation may increase the
transmission of malaria since they transform ecosystems and create new vector breed-
ing habitats. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of Gilgel-Gibe hydroelec-
tric dam in Ethiopia on malaria transmission and changing levels of prevalence in
children.
A cross-sectional, community-based study was carried out between October and
December 2005 in Jimma Zone, south-western Ethiopia, among children under 10
years of age living in three “at-risk” villages (within 3 km from dam) and three “con-
trol” villages (5-8 km from dam). The man-made Gilgel-Gibe dam is operating since
2004. Households with children less than 10 years of age were selected and chil-
dren from the selected households were sampled from all the 6 villages. This included
1,081 children from “at-risk” villages and 774 children from “control” villages. Blood
samples collected from children using fi nger prick were examined microscopically to
determine malaria prevalence, density of parasitaemia and identify malarial parasite
species.
Overall 1,855 children (905 girls and 950 boys) were surveyed. A total of 194
(10.5%) children were positive for malaria, of which, 117 (60.3%) for
Plasmodium
vivax
, 76 (39.2%) for
Plasmodium falciparum
and one (0.5%) for both
P. vivax
and
P.
falciparum
. A multivariate design-based analysis indicated that, while controlling for
age, sex and time of data collection, children who resided in “at-risk” villages close to
the dam were more likely to have
P. vivax
infection than children who resided farther
away (odds ratio (OR) = 1.63, 95% CI = 1.15, 2.32) and showed a higher OR to have
P.
falciparum
infection than children who resided in “control” villages, but this was not
signifi cant (OR = 2.40, 95% CI = 0.84, 6.88). A classifi cation tree revealed insights in
the importance of the dam as a risk factor for malaria. Assuming that the relationship
between the dam and malaria is causal, 43% of the malaria occurring in children was
due to living in close proximity to the dam.
This study indicates that children living in close proximity to a man-made reser-
voir in Ethiopia are at higher risk of malaria compared to those living farther away. It is
recommended that sound prevention and control program be designed and implemented
Search WWH ::
Custom Search