Prevalence of malaria infections among children aged six months to eleven years (6 months-11 years) in a tertiary institution in Benin City, Nigeria

Fidelis Uchendi Okafor¹* and Josephine Ngozi Oko-Ose²

¹Department of nursing science, university of Benin, Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria.

²School of post basic nursing studies, university of Benin teaching hospital, Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria.

*Corresponding author E-mail: Uchendifidelis2001@yahoo.com; Phone: (234) 8037442403

Accepted 03 September, 2012

Abstract

This study was designed to investigate the prevalence of malaria infections among children aged six months to eleven years (6months-11years) in a tertiary institution in Benin City of Edo State Nigeria, between January 2004 and December 2009. The study aimed at obtaining prevalence database for instituting intervention programmes. The population of the study was 7651 patients seen in Children Emergency Unit during the period under study. The sample which comprised 2,788(36.4%) patients admitted with malaria infections made up of 1,588 (57%) males and 1200(43%) females selected using structured checklist and cumulative records.  The data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The results revealed that out of the 7,651children admitted into children emergency during the six year period (2004-2009), 2788 had malaria fever. Children between the ages of ½ and 2 years had the highest prevalence of plasmodium infections (1633, i.e. 58.57%) compared with the other age groups with frequency of (1155, i.e. 41.43%). Plasmodium infections were commoner in the male than in the female subjects. 95 children died of malaria out of the 305 paediatric deaths recorded within the period of study. Mortality is higher amongst the males less than three years and in females more than eleven years. Anaemia is the major complication of malaria causing death and the least is cerebral malaria. Prevalence rates among children varied with age and gender. It is recommended that nurses should observe for signs and symptoms of anaemia and respiratory distress in children with malaria since they are the leading causes of death among children.

Keywords: Prevalence, Malaria and ¹/2-11years old children.