| Spleen index or spleen rate |
Point prevalence of persons with a palpably enlarged spleen (splenomegaly), which is strongly associated with malaria in many countries, including India and Venezuela. Although this term is not an exact measurement of malaria infection, it is considered an indicative public health measurement in tropical countries. The reference measurement in Venezuela was 5%, where malaria was not present (1). |
| Endemicity ratio |
Lowest spleen index observed in a 5-year period divided by 5, which is the assumed reference value for this index. This ratio was complemented by the ratio of epidemicity, in which the numerator was replaced by the greatest spleen index over a 5-year period (2,4). |
| Index of infection |
Prevalence of persons with malaria infection as determined by existing measurements, such as spleen indexes or blood smears. |
