Plasmodium falciparum remains the dominant parasite affecting children despite decades of implementing vector control in two villages in Humbo district of Wolita zone, southwest Ethiopia

Abstract

Abstract Background Malaria is still a significant public health concern, and its prevention and control measures have different impacts depending on the location. This study assesses the prevalence of malaria and the effectiveness of routine malaria control programmes such as indoor residual spray (IRS) in two Ethiopian villages. Methods The villages were purposefully selected based on their malaria prevalence rates. A parasitological survey was carried out in Fango-Gelchecha before and after the implementation of IRS. In Shochora-Abela, the survey was conducted only after the implementation of IRS. IRS was part of the standard malaria control programme, and 300 households in each village were selected systematically by selecting every fourth house from the village registration list. A total of 3075 individuals were counted and enrolled for malaria testing using microscopy. Results After three to four months of IRS application, there were 59 confirmed malaria cases with an overall prevalence of 1.9% (95% CI: 1.5–2.5). Of the positive cases, 18 cases (0.59%: 95% CI: 1.3–1.8) were from Shochora-Abela village, and 41 cases (1.33%: 95% CI: 1.1–1.3) were from Fango-Gelchecha. About age categories, the prevalence of malaria was 10.1% (95% CI: 5.9–15.9) among children under five, 4.7% (95% CI: 3.3–6.4) in children aged 5–14, and only 0.32% (95% CI: 0.13–0.67) in the age group 15 and above. Overall, P. falciparum was the dominant malaria parasite, accounting for 69.5% (95% CI: 56.1–80.8), while P. vivax malaria accounted for 30.5% (95% CI: 19.2–43.8). The malaria prevalence in Fango-Gelchecha village was 3.1% (95% CI: 2.3-4.0) before IRS and 2.6% (95% CI: 1.8–3.5) after IRS application. In the village of Shochora-Abela, the prevalence of IRS was 1.2% (95% CI: 0.7–1.9), but the prevalence prior to IRS was not evaluated. Conclusions Plasmodium falciparum is the predominant parasite in the villages, which mainly affects children under five years of age. Therefore, protecting young children should be the priority of concerned organizations to reduce the infection burden.