Survey of Tick Infestations on Pet Dogs in Jalingo Local Government Area, Taraba State

The study investigated the prevalence of tick infestation among pet dogs in Jalingo Metropolis, Taraba State. The study area was fragmented into five study sites namely Kona, Magami Mayo-gwoi, Mile Six and Nukkai areas. Thirty samples were collected from each study sites using random sampling method. The prevalence of ticks infestation on dogs recorded was 80%. Prevalence was significantly different between the sites (χ2 = 13.333, p =0.0098). Amongst the tick genera observed, Ammblyomma had the highest prevalence, 44 (29.3%) followed closely by Ixodes spp., 41 (27.3%), and the least was Dermacentor, 33 (22.0%). Dogs of 108 (72.0%) of the respondent were vaccinated. Dogs of 82 (54.7%) of the respondents received treatment for diseases. Only 71 (47.3%)  respondents used medicated soap, acaricide or chemicals to control dog ectoparasites. Attitudes of dog owners contributes directly or indirectly to tick infestation of dogs in Jalingo metropolis.&nbsp

Malaria parasite infections among school-aged children in Jalingo and Sardauna Local Government Areas, Taraba State, Nigeria

Malaria contributes significantly to the burden of disease especially among children less than five years. This study investigated the prevalence of malaria parasite infection among school-aged children in Jalingo and Sardauna LGAs of Taraba State, Nigeria. Structured questionnaire was used to obtain demographic information and microscopy used to determine parasitaemia level among 1,000 school-aged children (2-15 years) from ten selected communities who participated. Results showed that of the 1,000 children, 359(35.9%) were infected with malaria parasites. Children within the age 2-5 years had higher prevalence of 212(21.2%) when comared to other age groups. Assessing communities with respect to parasite load, Magami had the highest parasitaemia of 36(3.6%)+, 19(1.9%)++ and 1(0.1%)+++ while Maisamari Community had the lowest parasite intensity of 14(1.4%) + and 1(0.1%) ++, respectively. The moderate prevalence observed could be due to good knowledge of caregivers on malaria transmission. There is the need to sustain the current media and health facility based campaigns on malaria prevention strategies and maintenance of clean environmental condition.Keywords: Prevalence; parasitaemia; microscopy; environmental condition