Prevalence of Malaria and Associated Risk Factors among the Community of Mizan-Aman Town and Its Catchment Area in Southwest Ethiopia

Abstract

Background. Ethiopia is a Sub-Saharan African country with a high annual malaria case count, owing to the majority of the country’s geography favoring vector rearing. As part of the country’s prevention-based health policy, substantial efforts have been made to control and prevent malaria transmission. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of malaria and the associated factors in the community of Mizan-Aman and its catchment. Materials and Methods. From September to October 2021, a community-based cross-sectional survey was undertaken among the communities of Mizan-Aman town and its catchment area in Southwest Ethiopia. A pretested structured questionnaire was used to collect sociodemographic data, as well as a capillary blood sample from each study participant. Epi-data manager (v4.0.2.101) was used to enter the data and analyzed by SPSS version 25.0. A statistical significance was set at a $P$ value of <0.05. Result. The study comprised a total of 412 people, of which 87 (21.1%) tested positive for malaria parasites, with a greater prevalence reported among those aged 25 to 34 years (5.8%). Individuals who lived near stagnant water were more likely to become infected with the malaria parasite ( $\text{AOR}=8.996$ , 95% CI: 5.087-15.908) compared to those who lived further away, in warm climates, and those who did not use insecticide-treated bed nets were more susceptible to malaria parasite infection ( $\text{AOR}=4.647$ , 95% CI: 1.257-17.184) compared to those who did use ITN and With ( $\text{AOR}=0.466$ , 95% CI: 0.218-0.996 and $\text{AOR}=0.352$ , 95% CI: 0.206-0.604); participants with a history of antimalarial medication appear to have a protective function against malaria infection, respectively. Conclusion. The overall malaria prevalence in this study was 87 (21.1%), demonstrating that malaria remains a significant concern to the populations in the study area, with Plasmodium falciparum accounting for the vast majority of cases.