Abstract

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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<0.05). The high prevalence of malaria in the age group ≤10 may be associated with lower immunity to malaria. Malaria interventions should therefore pay special attention to this group. The percentage of Plasmodium falciparum malaria was higher among persons with HbAA than those with HbAS, HbAC and HbS.

Keywords: Blood, Haemoglobin, Kaduna, Malaria, Prevalence,