Akande, however, explained that preventive treatment of malaria is permitted for certain people.
“Preventive treatment of malaria can be used for people who are susceptible to severe malaria, like foreigners from countries where malaria is not endemic.”
Speaking further with PUNCH HealthWise, Akande also stated that persons with AA genotype should take care of their surroundings, noting that they are more susceptible to malaria than persons of other genotypes.
“People with the AA genotype are indeed susceptible to malaria,” Akande said, “but the reason why such persons are more likely to be infected with malaria remains a mystery”.
He explained that the reason some people with AA genotype are susceptible to malaria could be due to their genetic disposition, but added that research is still ongoing to shed light on it.
The health expert said, “AA genotype people are more susceptible to malaria than those with AS genotype.
“The susceptibility is about the genetic composition. Research is still ongoing to know the exact reason for this.
“Haemoglobin genotypes have been known to predispose individuals to or protect them from various diseases or infections”
The public health expert also revealed that persons with AS and AC genotypes have some form of immunity confirmed on them.
He said that the “presence of sickle haemoglobin Hb-S in red cells limits the development and multiplication of the parasite.”
This is also supported by a cohort study published in 2012 by the National Centre for Biotechnology Information.
The study is titled, ‘Haemoglobin variants and Plasmodium falciparum malaria in children under five years of age living in a high and seasonal malaria transmission area of Burkina Faso’
The study comprised 452 children living in four rural villages and the frequencies of HB genotypes were 73.2% AA, 15.0% AC, 8.2% A, 2.2% CC, 1.1% CS and 0.2% SS.
After a one-year follow-up, it was reported that AC or AS genotype was associated with a lower risk of clinical malaria relative to AA genotype only among children aged one to three years.
The study however recommended that “It would be advisable for clinical studies of malaria in endemic regions to consider haemoglobin gene differences as a potentially important confounder, particularly among younger children.”
source: healthwise
