Prevalence of Malaria with Respect to Age, Gender and Socio-Economic Status of Fever Related Patients in Kano City, Nigeria

Abstract

Malaria has been a major public health problem in sub-Saharan Africa. Globally, approximately 214 million cases of malaria occur annually and 3.2 billion people are at risk of infection. The study was aimed to determine the prevalence and incidence rate of malaria among fever related patients attending General outpatients department of Murtala Muhammad Specialist hospital, Kano State, Nigeria. A total of three hundred and seventy (370) subjects were used in this study. Blood samples from each of the subjects were collected for determination of malaria parasite microscopically. A total of 311 samples of the blood were found to be infected with Plasmodium corresponding to prevalence 84%. The result shows that more female subjects are recorded in this study i.e. 194 (52.4%) with prevalence rate of 54%, while male patients are 176 (47.6%) with prevalence rate of 46%. The infection rate was 37.6% in subjects > 10 years of age, and 28.3% in subjects 10-18 years. Above 18 years old, the prevalence of malaria is 34.1%. However, the highest incidence is found among subjects with less than 10 years of age (87%). The incidence rate is also higher among rural dwellers compared to urban dwellers. Statistical analysis of the result shows no significant different on the prevalence of malaria among age categories used in the study and between male and female subjects. There is a need for a comprehensive strategy for preventing malaria transmission such as effective use of insecticide treated bed nets, proper environmental sanitation and use of drugs.