Malaria Parasite Infection in Some Periurban and Rural Communities in Ekiti State, Nigeria

Introduction: Malaria is one of the leading parasitic diseases worldwide with Nigeria ranked the topmost country in the tropical Africa where the disease is prevalent. This study was designed with the aim to determine the prevalence of malaria parasite (MP) infection in some periurban and rural communities of Ekiti State being one of the 36 states of Nigeria.

Materials and Methods: Three periurban and rural communities were randomly selected in Ekiti State for the study. Blood samples were collected and examined microscopically for the presence of MP in dry and raining seasons among human volunteers in each community. Prevalence of MP infection was determined.

Results: Overall prevalence of MP infection was 26% in dry season and 38% in raining season (P = .001). In dry season, prevalence of MP infection was 22.3% in periurban communities and 31.3% in rural communities (P = .001). During the raining season the prevalence was 39.8% in periurban and 35.9% in rural communities (P = .12), with Plasmodium falciparum being the dominant species. Children of 0-5 years had the highest prevalence of infection (61.1%) during raining season while teenagers between 16-20 years had the highest prevalence of infection (31.5%) in the dry season. Generally, there was an increase in malaria parasite density during raining season.

Conclusion: This study confirmed the existence of MP infection in Ekiti State. The distribution of MP infection in both periurban and rural communities was affected by season with higher prevalence occurring during the raining season.