Five Year Retrospective and Current Prevalence of Malaria in Bunkure Local Government Area of Kano State, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Malaria is one of the most severe public health problems worldwide, particularly in Africa, with Nigeria having the greatest number of cases. This study evaluated a five-year (2012-2016) retrospective and a current trend (August-December 2017) of malaria prevalence in Bunkure Local Government Area of Kano State, Nigeria. Methods: The retrospective review was conducted by extracting data on malaria cases from the Summary Record Book at Bunkure Primary Health Care Facility. In the current survey, a total of 400 participants were examined using peripheral blood sample obtained by venous puncture to estimate the current malaria prevalence. All data obtained were analyzed using SPSS version 20. Results: In the retrospective period, a total of 12,387 suspected malaria patients were diagnosed using Rapid Diagnostic Test kit, out of which 9,746 (78.7%) were positive for malaria. The infection was higher in females (45.27%) and in subjects above or equal to 5years of age. There was no significant difference in prevalence between the gender (P= 0.322) and the age groups (P = 0.630). Of the 400 participants examined, 193 were found positive for malaria, representing a prevalence rate of (48.3%), much lower than the prevalence rate in the retrospective period (78.7%). The higher prevalence of the infection was found in males (32.25%) and the age group between 5-12 years (14.25%). The difference in prevalence was statistically not significant between the genders (p = 0.87) and the age groups (p = 0.142). Conclusion: Based on the findings of this study, there was a significant decline (P < 0.05) in trend of malaria prevalence in the study area, which may be attributed to the effectiveness of the ongoing control interventions in the locality. This study indicates the need for continuous monitoring of malaria prevalence using both microscopy and RDT for assessment of impact of malaria intervention in the area.