Prevalence of Malaria and COVID-19 Infection in Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State, Nigeria

Abstract

Introduction. The prevalence of malaria and coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is highly devastating and has led to a serious public health challenge worldwide. In order to ensure proper control and elimination, the State Ministry of Health (MoH) Ondo State, Nigeria conducted medical examinations in Iju/Itaogbolu, Igoba, and Ogbese Health centers to identify and confirm cases of COVID-19 and malaria infection. This study provides the outcome of the epidemiological investigation of the prevalence of COVID-19 and malaria in Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State, Nigeria. Method. The study was a hospital-based secondary data analysis comprising of 11,389 and 682 individuals who visited various health centers in Akure North Local Government Area (LGA) for medical examinations on malaria and COVID-19, respectively. The COVID-19 cases were investigated using the fluid sample collected with a nasal swab or a throat swab, or spit of saliva into a tube and confirmed by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The Plasmodium falciparum histidine-rich protein 2 (PfHRP2) RDT was employed to detect the P.falciparum antigen among participants’ blood samples. Results. The total prevalence of malaria and COVID-19 were 67.6% and 12.4%, respectively. Meanwhile, the month of September recorded the highest malaria prevalence of 81.8% while the month of April recorded the least malaria prevalence of 56.4%. Similarly, the highest case of COVID-19 (18.8%) was recorded in the month of November while the least case (2.4%) was recorded in the month of April ( p < 0.05 ). The age range of 12-59 months had the highest malaria prevalence of 74.9% while 0-24 days age range recorded the least prevalence of 15.2% ( p > 0.05 ). Apparently, the children were more infected with malaria parasites while adults were more infected with COVID-19. Conclusion. Conclusively, malaria and COVID-19 infections were prevalent in the study area. Thus, the people should be enlightened on the deadly risk of malaria and COVID-19 through the health workers, social media, and the community leaders to ensure compliance with appropriate preventive measures.

COVID-19 and malaria co-infection: a systematic review of clinical outcomes in endemic areas

“…Table 1 showed the significant excluded studies with reasons for exclusion: four studies due to non-compatible objectives. Campbell et al (2020) , Bylicka-Szczepanowska & Korzeniewski (2022) , Zhu et al (2022) , Arshad et al (2020) , seven studies with non-compatible study design ( Zhu et al, 2022 ; Zhang et al, 2022 ; Simon-Oke, Awosolu & Odeyemi, 2023 ; Igala et al, 2022 ; Kalungi et al, 2021 ; EBioMedicine, 2021 ; Zawawi et al, 2020 ), other four with non-compatible outcomes ( Arshad et al, 2020 ; Dorkenoo et al, 2022 ; Briggs et al, 2022 ; Wilairatana et al, 2021 ), and single study the publication language is not English ( López-Farfán et al, 2022 ). The identification and screening process sequence was displayed in the PRISMA Flow Diagram ( Fig.…”

GIS-based spatiotemporal mapping of malaria prevalence and exploration of environmental inequalities

“…Malaria, a significant global health threat, causes extensive illness and death worldwide, with a particularly severe impact on the African continent (Sankineni et al 2023 ; Simon-Oke et al 2023 ; Rodríguez et al 2023 ). This disease has posed a persistent challenge to public health on a global scale for many years, especially in tropical regions.…”

“…This disease has posed a persistent challenge to public health on a global scale for many years, especially in tropical regions. The primary Plasmodium species responsible for malaria are Plasmodium falciparum , Plasmodium vivax , Plasmodium ovale , and Plasmodium malaria, with P. falciparum being the deadliest and accounting for up to 95% of malaria implicated deaths in Africa (Sankineni et al 2023 ; Simon-Oke et al 2023 ). Despite a modest decrease in malaria prevalence in recent years, as indicated by past research, many individuals globally, particularly in Africa, continue to grapple with malaria due to insufficient socio-economic status and access to treatment resources.…”