Prevalence of Malaria Parasites among Pregnant Women and Children under Five years in Ekiti State, Southwest Nigeria.

Abstract

Background: Malaria is a deadly disease causing serious public health issues among pregnant women and children worldwide especially in tropical and subtropical Africa. This study was carried out to determine the prevalence of malaria parasites among pregnant women and children under five years in Ekiti State, Nigeria.Methodology: A total of 380 blood samples were collected from the pregnant women and children under five years respectively. Malaria parasites were examined microscopically on thick and thin blood smear stained with Giemsa stain while personal data were collected through questionnaire and confirmed from file records. Red cell phenotyping was carried out manually with standard tube technique for blood group. Haemoglobin electrophoresis was carried out using the cellulose acetate alkaline haemoglobin electrophoresis technique, which allowed for the separation of haemoglobin A, F, S, and C into distinct bands.Results: The results showed that of 380 pregnant women sampled, 153 (40.2%) were positive for malaria parasites and 63 (63%) were positive of the 100 children sampled. The highest prevalence of malaria parasites 18 (51.4%) and 25 (71.4%) were observed in ages 36-39 and <1 years for pregnant women and children respectively. Multigravidae was 1.19 times (95% Cl: 0.77, 1.84) more vulnerable to malaria compare to primigravidae. Women in the first trimester were more infected with malaria parasites 40 (75.4%) than those in second trimester 46 (23.3%) and third trimester 67 (51.9%). Among children under five years of age, females 38 (66.7%) had the highest prevalence compared to males 25 (58.1%). However, there was no significant difference. Statistical analysis showed a significant difference in genotype types (P<0.05).Conclusion: This study revealed that malaria infection is still endemic in the study area, hence, there is urgent need to deploy management strategy to the study area.

Epidemiology of falciparum malaria among residents of some rural and peri- urban communities in Ekiti State, Southwestern Nigeria

“…Indeed, the high malaria parasite prevalence recorded in this study was also similar to the reports of previous studies in other parts of Nigeria (Greenwood et al, 2005;Asaolu & Igbaakin, 2009;Okonko et al, 2009;Iwueze et al, 2014;Ayogu et al, 2016;Umma et al, 2017;Awosolu et al, 2019Awosolu et al, , 2020. However, malaria parasite prevalence in this study is greater than studies reported by Nzeako et al (2013), Udoh et al (2013) and Simon-Oke et al (2019). The high malaria parasite prevalent in this current study can be attributed to the multifaceted prevailing environmental factors such as temperature, rainfall and forest cover which provide good breeding system for the mosquito vector.…”

Prevalence of Malaria among Children under Five Years in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria

“…There was no significant difference in the distribution of positive tests by microscopy and RDT among the sample population (chi-square = 2.60, p = 0.106) [17] and 63% in a 2019 study in Ekiti State [18]. These studies all used microscopy for parasite detection.…”

Evaluation of malaria preventive measures among adult patients attending the Bamendjou and Foumbot district hospitals of the West Region of Cameroon

“…Similar to findings from another study in the North West region of Cameroon [35], the young adult age group is more at risk of malaria. Although children < 5 years and pregnant women are naturally more predisposed to malaria [36][37][38][39], differences in exposure patterns may also increase the risk of malaria among young adults. Compared to other age groups, young adults are more involved in outdoor activities like farming and could be casual towards malaria preventive measures.…”