Methods: This was a randomized cross-sectional and hospital-based study. The standard method of microscopy was employed. Thick and thin films were prepared and viewed under a light microscope to identify and quantify malaria parasites. A well-structured and pre-tested questionnaire was used to obtain the subject's information on the demographic, socio-economic and environmental variables.
Results: A total of 380 (71.7%) participants were infected with Plasmodium falciparum with a mean parasite density of 1857.11 parasite/µL of blood. Malaria prevalence and mean parasite density were significantly higher among male compared to their female counterparts [80.3% vs 61.4% and 2026.46 vs 1619.63 parasite/µL of blood]. Similarly, age group ≤5 years had the highest malaria prevalence (92.2%) and mean parasite density (2031.66 parasite/µL of blood) than other age groups (AOR 2.281, 95% CI: 1.187-4.384, P < 0.05). The multivariate logistic analysis showed that malaria disease is significantly associated with having mother with no formal education (AOR 12.235, 95% CI: 3.253-46.021, P < 0.05), having well and river as a major source of household water supply (AOR 13.810, 95% CI: 3.012-63.314, P < 0.05 vs AOR 5.639, 95% CI: 1.455-21.853, P < 0.05) and presence of stagnant water around home (AOR 5.22, 95% CI: 2.921-9.332, P < 0.05). Furthermore, protective factors observed include ownership of mosquito bed net (AOR 0.474, 95% CI: 0.223-1.008, P < 0.05) and distance of home to hospital (AOR 0.279, 95% CI: 0.158-0.493, P < 0.05).
Conclusion: Malaria remains a serious public health problem in the study area. Adopting integrated malaria control measures including educating parents on malaria prevention and control strategies, distributing mosquito bed nets, and establishing larvae source management program is highly imperative.
Materials and methods: A cross-sectional hospital-based study was carried out on 300 participants. Blood samples were obtained. Thick and thin blood films were prepared and viewed using the standard parasitological technique of microscopy. Moreover, data on sociodemographic and environmental variables were obtained using a pre-tested standard questionnaire.
Results: Of the 300 participants examined, a total of 165 (55.0%) were found positive for Plasmodium falciparum with a mean (S.D) parasite density of 1814.70 (1829.117) parasite/μL of blood. The prevalence and parasite density of malaria infection vary significantly (P < 0.05) with age group. Children <5 years old were more likely to have malaria infection and high parasite densities than adults (p < 0.05). Similarly, in relation to gender, males significantly (P < 0.05) had a higher prevalence (60.2%) and mean (S.D) parasite density of malaria infection [2157.73 (1659.570) parasite/μL of blood] compared to females. Additionally, those without formal education had the highest prevalence (73.0%) and mean (S.D) parasite density of infection [2626.96 (2442.195) parasite/μL of blood]. The bivariate logistic regression analysis shows that age group 6-10 (Crude Odds Ratio, COR 0.066, 95% CI: 0.007-0.635), presence of streams/rivers (COR 0.225, 95% CI: 0.103-0.492), distance from streams/rivers within ≤1 km (COR 0.283, 95% CI: 0.122-0.654) and travel to rural area (COR 4.689, 95% CI: 2.430-9.049) were the significant risk factors.
Conclusions: Malaria infection is prevalent in the study area and was greatly influenced by traveling activities from the rural areas to urban centers and vice versa. Multifaceted and integrated control strategy should be adopted. Health education on mosquito prevention and chemoprophylaxis before and during travel to rural areas are essential.
METHODS: The Areca catechu nut collected from Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia was grounded into powder and used for Soxhlet extraction. The chemical analysis of the extracts and their structures were identified using the GCMS-QP2010 Ultra (Shimadzu) system. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Chemistry WebBook, Standard Reference Database 69 (https://webbook.nist.gov/chemistry/) and PubChem (https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/), the two databases used to retrieve the synonyms, molecular formula, molecular weight, and 2-dimensional (2D) structure of chemical compounds. Next, following WHO procedures for larval bioassays, the extracts were used to asses larvicidal activity against early 4th instar larvae of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus.
RESULTS: The larvicidal activities were observed against early 4th stage larvae with different concentrations in the range from 200 mg/L to 1600 mg/L. The LC50 and LC95 of Aedes aegypti were 621 mg/L and 2264 mg/L respectively; whereas the LC50 and LC95 of Aedes albopictus were 636 mg/L and 2268 mg/L respectively. Mortality was not observed in the non-target organism test. The analysis using gas chromatography and mass spectrometer recovered several chemical compounds such as Arecaidine, Dodecanoic acid, Methyl tetradecanoate, Tetradecanoic acid , and n-Hexadecanoic acid bioactive components. These chemical constituents were used as additive formulations in pesticides, pest control, insect repellent, and insecticidal agents.
CONCLUSIONS: Our study showed significant outcomes from the extract of Areca catechu nut and it deserves further investigation in relation to chemical components and larvicidal actions between different species of Aedes mosquitoes. Even though all these findings are fundamental, it may have some interesting potentials to be developed as natural bio-larvicidal products.