The Prevalence of Malaria in Children between the Ages 2-15 Visiting Gwarinpa General Hospital Life-Camp, Abuja, Nigeria

Abstract

Malaria is a major cause of illness and death especially among children under 5 years and pregnant women. It is estimated that more than one million children living in Africa especially in remote areas with poor access to health services die annually from direct and indirect effects of malaria. Fatally affected children often die within less than 72hrs after developing the symptoms. In Nigeria, malaria consistently ranks among the five most common causes of death in children. As a result of increased mortality and morbidity there is need for proper understanding of the epidemiology of the disease among the most at risk groups. Two milliliters venous blood was collected from each of the 200 children and stored in an anticoagulant specimen bottle. Thick and thin films were prepared, stained and examined for malaria parasite under the microscope using the oil immersion objective. Malaria infection was found to be most prevalent among 2-5years old, (29%) while ages 6-10 and 11-15yrs both had 17.5% infection. There was no significant difference in prevalence among the male and female children, with 67 and 61%, respectively. The most prominent specie in the community is Plasmodium falciparum (62.5). There is need for mothers to protect their children from mosquito bite by ensuring that they sleep under Insecticide Treated Net