Prevalence of Malaria Parasites among Nnamdi Azikwe University Students and Anti-Malaria Drug Use

The prevalence of malaria parasites and antimalarial drug of choice wereinvestigated among students of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State between February and May, 2008. A total of 800 blood samples were randomly collected from students aged 17-31 years. Thick films were prepared and microscopic examination carried out. In addition, structured questionnaires were administered to the same students whose blood were being screened. The result showed that a total of 512 (64%) students made up of 284 males and 228 females were infected. The difference in infection were not statistically significant (p>0.05). Information from the questionnaire revealed that antimalarial drugs used by the students include Chloroquine� (8.50%), sulphonamides {Amalar�, Fansidar�, Malareich� and Maloxine�} (41.50%), Artesunate� and Artemisinin based combination {Coartem� and Camosunate�} (26.00%) and native herbs {mixtures ofcrude extracts from Morida lucida and Azardirachta indica leaves}(24.00%). The study also revealed factors governing drugs by the students which include cost of drugs (26.00%), effectiveness of drugs (19.00%), availability of drugs (12.50%) and adverse reaction to drugs (3.50%). Government should therefore intensify efforts geared towards control of malaria among students.&nbsp

Ecology of Malaria Vectors in a Rainforest Suburban Community of Nigeria

The ecology of malaria vectors in a suburban community of Umudioka,Dunukofia Local Government Area (LGA), Anambra State was studiedbetween May and July 2009. Umudioka is an agrarian community in therainforest zone of Nigeria and it is situated between longitude 6085´E andLatitude 6010´N of Equator. Mosquito larvae were collected from groundwater pools, discarded old tyres and domestic water containers using ladles, bowls, sieves and specimen bottles. Indoor biting and resting adultmosquitoes were collected from 30 houses using pyrethroid-based insecticide knockdown method (PKC). Discarded tyres yielded the highest number of mosquito larvae 204 (54.84%) but ground pool yielded the highest number of Anopheles mosquito larvae 117 (31.45%). Of 263 adults mosquitoes collected from inside houses, 243 (92.40%) were from houses with ceilings and 20 (7.60%) from houses without ceilings. Of the 3 mosquito species collected indoors, A. gambiae 156 (59.3%), had the highest number with a room density of 5.2 mosquitoes/room/night. Ground water pools sustained by streams, tap overflows and flooding due to heavy rainfall patterns of the area, were the most favourable breeding ground for malaria vectors in the area.Key words: Malaria, Mosquito, Vectors, Ecology, Suburban, Community

Malaria Prevalence and Indoor-Biting Mosquito Vector Abundance in Ogbunike, Oyi Local Government Area, Anambra State, Nigeria

This paper studies malaria prevalence and the abundance of indoor-bitingmosquito vectors in Ogbunike community, Oyi Local Government Area ofAnambra State, Nigeria between May and September 2010. Blood sampleswere collected from 208 healthy participants (94 males and 114 females)selected from the six villages of the town. Thick and thin blood films weremade, stained with Field’s stains A and B and examined microscopically.Indoor-biting mosquito vectors were collected using Pyrethrum KnockdownCollection method (PKC). Of the 208 participants, 121 (58.2%) weremalaria positives. Considering the intensity of malaria among theparticipants, 86 (71.1%) had mild infection (+), 32 (26.4%) had moderateinfection (++) and 3 (2.5%) had heavy infection (+++). Only Plasmodiumfalciparum was seen. Osile village had the highest prevalence (64.5%) while Umueri had the least prevalence (51.7%). Malaria prevalence amongdifferent villages of the community was statistically significant (8.88, df = 5; p0.05).The age group 61 has the highest malaria prevalence (64.7%), followed by age group of 0-10 (63.2%) while 41-50 had the least (42.9%). The malaria prevalence in relation to age was significant (5.56, df=5; p0.05). Females 73(35.1%) were affected more than the males 48(23.1%) though there was no significant difference (p>0.05). 110 Anopheles gambiae was collected from the six villages of the community with Osile having the highest indoor-biting Anopheles mosquito 24 (21.8%) while Ifite had the least collection 13 (11.8%). There was a positive strong relationship between malaria prevalence and Anopheles abundance in the villages in Ogbunike (r=0.1221684;

Cryptosporidiosis among children attending University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu, Nigeria

A study was carried out to determine the prevalence of Cryptosporidium parvum infection among children aged 0-15 years attending University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Enugu, Enugu State, Nigeria, from January to May, 2007. A total of 480 stool samples were examined for oocysts of C. parvum using the modified Ziel-Neelson staining technique. The overall prevalence was 21.8%. About 74.0% and 10.1% watery and soft-formed stool samples respectively were infected with C. parvum oocysts. The prevalence rate of infection varied with age with the peak among the age-group 3-5 years (31.6%) and decreasing steadily thereafter. Males (26.8%) were more infected than females (18.0%), however the difference was not statistically significant (p>0.05). The prevalence rate was significantly (

Prevalence of Giardia lamblia cyst; its detection in water bodies and relationship with environmental factors in Abagana, eastern Nigeria

The study investigated the episode of giardiasis among the inhabitants of Abagana, its detection in the natural water bodies and its relationship with environmental factors. The overall prevalence of giardiasis among the inhabitants was 18.5%. The prevalence rate was statistically higher in children 1-5 years (

Prevalence of gastro-intestinal helminths in school children in Mbaukwu, Anambra State, Nigeria

A study was conducted to determine the prevalence of gastro-intestinal helminth parasites among 514 pupils aged 5-16 years in five primary schools in Mbaukwu, Awka South Local Government Area, Anambra State, Nigeria. Structured questionnaire was used to determine the socio-economic factors enhancing the transmission of the parasites. Six helminth parasites were isolated, namely, Hookworm (37.3%), Ascaris lumbricoides (33.6%), Trichuris trichiura (11.7%) Strongyloides stercoralis (8.2%), Taenia spp (6.90/0) and Schistosoma mansoni (2.8%). Multiple parasitism were also encountered. Pupils in the agegroup 9-12 years had the highest infection rate (41.0%) followed by those in age-group 5-9 (40.1%). Infection rate was higher among (p>0.05) females than males though not statistically significant. Infection was higher among those whose parents were farmers and traders than those of civil servants. Infection was also higher among pupils who used nearby bushes for defaecation than those who use pit latrine and water. Sanitation should be encouraged in order to control the disease since the high prevalence was found to be associated with unsanitary habits. There is the need to incorporate the control of intestinal helminthiasis into Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI). Keywords: helminth, parasites, prevalence, Mbaukwu.Nigerian Journal of Parasitology Vol. 29 (1) 2008 pp. 15-1

Prevalence and intensity of malaria among HIV seropositive patients in Nnewi, Anambra state

No Abstract