Social Aspects of Malaria among Students in Two Tertiary Institutions in Lagos; Nigeria

Studies were carried out on the social aspects of malaria among 600 students. Three hundred students (150 male; 150 females) were randomly selected from two tertiary institutions in Lagos; Nigeria. These schools are Lagos State University (LASU) and AOCOED (Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education). A structured questionnaire elicited relevant information on knowledge; perception and social aspects of malaria. Students aged 21-23; from faculty of arts and in their second year participated mostly in the study with no significant difference between the two schools. In LASU; 223(74.3) and 211(70.3) in AOCOED knew the cause of malaria (P0.05). In LASU; 282(94) and 192(64) in AOCOED believed that malaria could be prevented (P0.05). In LASU; 283(96) and 283(94.3) in AOCOED believed malaria could be treated (P0.05). 109 (36.3) respondents in LASU and 112(37.3) in AOCOED thought that malaria was contagious (P0.05). Fever was the most recognised symptom of malaria in both schools and self-medication was more popular in AOCOED. In LASU; 284(94.6) and AOCOED; 273(91) had malaria in the past one year (P0.05). 146(48.7) of the students who participated in LASU and 206(68.6) in AOCOED had been admitted for malaria within the past one year (P0.05). Class absenteeism and low academic performance were significantly higher in AOCOED than LASU. However; our results suggested that the LASU students were more informed about malaria than the AOCOED students because their knowledge and perception was better. The students; despite their academic backgrounds need intensified health education on malaria incorporated into their schools' curriculum

Transmission Dynamics of Malaria in Four Selected Ecological Zones of Nigeria in the Rainy Season

Background: Two of the problems of malaria parasite vector control in Nigeria are the diversity of Anopheline vectors and large size of the country. Anopheline distribution and transmission dynamics of malaria were therefore compared between four ecotypes in Nigeria during the rainy season. Methods: Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used in molecular identification after morphological identification microscopically. Enzyme linked immunorsorbent assay (ELISA) was used for the blood meal analysis and sporozoite detection. Results: Five species were identified out of 16;410 anophelines collected. An. gambiae s.s made up approximately 29.2-36.6of the population in each zone. All five species acted as vectors for P. falciparum . An. gambiae s.s had the highest sporozoite rate. The most infected mosquitoes were found in the rain forest. More blood meals were taken from bovids; except the savannah forest; where 73.3were on humans and Human Blood index (HBI) was 57.3. The Entomological inoculation rate (EIR) was a mean of 13.6 ib/p but was highest in the rainforest zone. Conclusions and limitations: This study demonstrates the complex distribution of anophelines and the considerable variations in the intensity of malaria transmission in Nigeria. We highlight the need to consider diverse epidemiological situations when planning countrywide control programmes