Nriagu Lab - Trace Metals, Human Health and the Environment

Lead Poisoning and Malaria among African Children

Principal Investigator

Status

Current

Keywords

About this Project

The significance and consequences of co-exposure to lead and Plasmodium have not been well researched. This project deals with lead poisoning as a co-factor for malaria among young children in Nigeria and other African countries where the two morbidities are pandemic. The principal goals include (a) determine the relationships between lead exposure and prevalence of childhood malaria in areas of Nigeria with high rates of Plasmodium infection, and (b) ascertain the confounding roles of iron deficiency and sickle cell disease (SCD) on the association between lead exposure and malaria in the study population. A working hypothesis is that lead exposure may affect the outcome of vaccines against malaria leading to erroneous conclusions on vaccine efficacy. An important goal of this project is to establish research collaboration between the our research team and local state departments and universities in Nigeria on issues pertaining to malaria and supervenient effects of exposures to environmental pollutants.