Malaria infection and its association with socio-demographics, long lasting insecticide nets usage and hematological parameters among adolescent patients in rural Southwestern Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: There is increasing evidence suggesting that adolescents are contributing to the populations at risk of malaria. This study determined the prevalence of malaria infection among the adolescents and examined the associated determinants considering socio-demographic, Long Lasting Insecticide Nets (LLINs) usage, and hematological factors in rural Southwestern Nigeria. METHODS: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted between July 2021 and September 2022 among 180 adolescents who were recruited at a tertiary health facility in rural Southwestern Nigeria. Interviewer administered questionnaire sought information on their socio-demographics and usage of LLINs. Venous blood samples were collected and processed for malaria parasite detection, ABO blood grouping, hemoglobin genotype, and packed cell volume. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20. A p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: The prevalence of malaria infection was 71.1% (95% CI: 68.2%-73.8%). Lack of formal education (AOR = 2.094; 95% CI: 1.288-3.403), being a rural residence (AOR = 4.821; 95% CI: 2.805-8.287), not using LLINs (AOR = 1.950; 95% CI: 1.525-2.505), genotype AA (AOR = 3.420; 95% CI: 1.003-11.657), genotype AS (AOR = 3.574; 95%CI: 1.040-12.277), rhesus positive (AOR = 1.815; 95% CI:1.121-2.939), and severe anemia (AOR = 1.533; 95% CI: 1.273-1.846) were significantly associated with malaria infection. CONCLUSION: The study revealed the prevalence of malaria infection among the adolescents in rural Southwestern Nigeria. There may be need to pay greater attention to adolescent populations for malaria intervention and control programs.

Relationship between the Usage of Long-Lasting Insecticide-Treated Bed Nets (LLITNs) and Malaria Prevalence among School-Age Children in Southwestern Nigeria.

Purpose: The usage of LLITNs in malaria vector control has resulted in the reduction in malaria deaths among higher-risk groups (pregnant women and under-fives). However, there exists asymptomatic infection among older children, thereby making them a reservoir of malaria transmission. This study aimed at assessing the impact of LLITN usage on malaria prevalence among school-age children (SAC) in Ekiti, South Western Nigeria. Methods: Cross-sectional, two-stage cluster sampling technique was used to collect data from SAC during May and June 2017. A total of 1313 (Oye LGA: 657 and Ikole LGA: 656) SAC in selected public primary schools participated in the study. Sociodemographic information as well as data on LLITN usage the previous night was obtained using pretested, semistructured questionnaires adapted from the standardized Malaria Indicator Survey (MIS) tools. Malaria infection was diagnosed by using the rapid diagnostic test (RDT) on blood samples that were collected by finger prick from each child. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) for Windows software version 26 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Results: Usage of LLITNs among SAC was significantly higher in Ikole LGA than in Oye (p < 0.001). Socioeconomic factors (access to electricity, mother's occupation, and household size) showed significant associations with LLITN usage (p < 0.001) in both Oye and Ikole LGAs. Malaria prevalence was significantly low among SAC utilizing LLITNs in both Oye and Ikole LGAs (p < 0.001). There was a significant association between gender and malaria prevalence among SAC with males having higher prevalence than females (p < 0.001). Socioeconomic factors were significantly associated with malaria prevalence in both LGAs (p < 0.001). Conclusion: The usage of LLITNs caused a significant reduction in malaria prevalence among the school-age children in the study areas; hence, sensitization on usage should be scaled up towards malaria elimination.

Assessment of the Status of Awareness, Ownership, and Usage of Long-Lasting Insecticide Treated Nets after Mass Distribution in Ekiti State, Nigeria.

Vector control with long-lasting insecticide treated nets (LLINs) has been identified as a major component of malaria prevention and control. The study examined present status of awareness, ownership, and utilization of LLINs in malaria high-risk areas of Ekiti State, Nigeria. Data were obtained from 352 copies of semistructured interviewer-guided questionnaire distributed to participants of each household in the four Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Ekiti State, where malaria is endemic after mass distribution of LLINs. Findings in this study showed that awareness was high (91.8%) in the Local Government Areas (LGAs) with mass media contributing largely (44.3%) to awareness. Also, LLINs ownership was found to be high (71.3%) with 72.9% of the nets being supplied by the government. Of the owners of LLINs, usage rate was observed to be 67.6%. Multivariate analysis result showed that statistically significant sociodemographic characteristics of respondents predicting the usage of LLINs included age greater than 50 years (p value = 0.008), female gender (χ 2 = 8.2014, p value = 0.004), being married (χ 2 = 24.721, p value <0.001), civil servants (χ 2 = 12.739, p value = 0.005), and average income above poverty line (χ 2 = 13.576, p value = 0.004). The study concluded that although not all households surveyed owned LLINs, nevertheless, the level of usage of LLINs among net-owning households was high. The study recommended continuous free distribution, periodic household survey, and expanding public knowledge on the benefits of LLINs usage especially through social media.