Assessment of Malaria Prevalence and Haemoglobin Genotypes among Patients Attending Selected Hospitals in the Three Senatorial Districts of Kaduna State, Nigeria

Malaria is a significant public health problem, especially in developing countries including  Nigeria. It has caused the morbidity and death of millions of people; especially pregnant women and  children under the age of five years in sub-Saharan Africa. The aim of this study was to assess the  prevalence of malaria and haemoglobin genotypes among patients attending selected hospitals in the three  senatorial districts of Kaduna State, Nigeria. Blood samples were collected from 300 consenting  participants and screened for malaria parasites using microscopy. Relevant information was obtained by  administration of structured questionnaire. Associations were determined using Chi-square, and P≤0.05  was considered significant. The prevalence of malaria was higher in General Hospital Kafanchan (30%)  which is located in Kaduna South Senatorial District, compared to the Hospitals in Kaduna North and  Kaduna Central Senatorial Districts (P=0.062). The age group ≤10 (31.3%) had the highest malaria  prevalence, the least prevalence was found in the age group ≥41 (9.1%). The difference was statistically  significant (P=0.029). The educational status and occupation of participants were not significantly  associated with malaria (P