Anemia and Co-Infection of P. falciparum and Hookworm among School Children in Kinondoni District Dar es Salaam Tanzania

This was a cross-sectional study conducted in Kinondoni district from January to June 2015. The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of co-infection of malaria and hookworm plus anemia in school-aged children. Stool and blood samples were collected from 332 children aged 6-14 years. Hemoglobin concentration (Hb) was determined by using portable HaemoCue. Giemsa-stained blood film was examined to detect malaria parasites while Kato Katz technique was used to detect hookworm ova. The Pearson�s chi-square, Student�s T-test, and Multivariate analysis were performed using SPSS version 20. The prevalence of malaria, hookworm, co-infection, and anemia were 13.5 % 27.7 % 7.5 % and 22 % respectively. The mean Hb was 10.51 g/dl (�1.31). Mean Hb in co-infected children was low compared to those with a single infection. The prevalence of co-infection was high among 6-11 years. Ascaris lumbricoides was another parasite that was isolated in this study. This study showed that anaemia, malaria and hookworm co-infection are prevalent in school-aged children and an intervention to address the rate of malaria, hookworm, and anemia in the study area should be considered.