During the baseline period before the rollout of the intervention commenced, two parasitological prevalence surveys were conducted in a cross section of the study population. Households were randomly selected for inclusion in each prevalence survey to the point where 10 % of the population was included. All members of selected households were informed in advance of the date and time of the survey and were invited to assemble at a public place such as a church or a school near their home for malaria testing. In total, residents of 790 randomly selected households were sampled, covering 1223 houses. The first survey examined 1822 individuals (7.8 % of the total island population) and was carried out during the start of the short rainy season starting from September and finishing in November 2012. A second prevalence survey examined 1810 individuals (7.7 % of the total population) and was conducted from February to April 2013. Individual body temperature was measured by means of a Braun™ IRT 3020 ear thermometer. A drop of blood was obtained through a finger prick and directly tested for antigens of malaria parasites using an SD BIOLINE™ Malaria Ag P.f/Pan (HRP-II/pLDH) Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT). The SD Bioline RDT kit results distinguish between infection with P. falciparum and other Plasmodium species. However, tests results with more than one positive reading or indicating multiple species of Plasmodium were pooled. If the individual tested positive for malaria antigens, an appropriate dose of Coartem® (Artemether/lumefantrine) was provided free of charge.
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