Typhoid-Malaria Co-infection in Ghana

Abstract

Malaria and typhoid fever are among the most endemic diseases in the tropics. The emergence of multi-drug resistant strains of Salmonella typhi and Plasmodium falciparum poses a big challenge to eradication of both diseases. Both diseases share similar transmission factors, putting individuals in areas endemic for both infections at a substantial risk of contracting both infections concurrently. The main objective of the study was to determine the incidence of malaria and typhoid fever co-infection in the Sunyani and Kumasi metropolises. One hundred and twenty-nine participants were recruited for the study. Twenty-two (17.0%) of the subjects tested positive for typhoid fever, twenty-four (18.6%) tested positive for falciparum malaria, and five (3.9%) were co-infected with falciparum malaria and typhoid fever. No association (P=0.585) was found between malaria and typhoid fever infection.