Prevalence of malaria among under fives in Tudun-Wada, Jos north local government area of Plateau state, North central Nigeria.

Abstract

Background: Malaria is a preventable and treatable disease associated with high morbidity and mortality and under fives. It is the third leading cause of death for children under five years world wide. It is a major public health problem in Nigeria. Knowledge of the prevalence in underfives will help in instituting measures to reduce morbidity and mortality associated with it.
Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted among 400 under five children in Tudun Wada, Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State to determine the prevalence of malaria.
Results: The age range of the sampled population was between 0 and 60 months with mean of 34 + 8 months. One hundred and sixty four(41%) of the sampled population had malaria. Sixty four(16%) were females while 100(25%) were males,p=0.06.
Conclusion: This study demonstrates a high prevalence of malaria among under five children.

Key words: prevalence, malaria, underfive