Malaria Infection Prevalence and Haematological Profiles of Nursery and Primary School Children in Fegge, Onitsha, Anambra State-Nigeria

A study on malaria infection prevalence and haematological profiles of nursery and primary school pupils aged 0 – 14 years old was conducted in three selected primary schools in Fegge, Onitsha South Local Government Area, Anambra State. Three hundred and sixty (360) pupils were randomly selected from the schools and 2ml of venous blood was collected by venipuncture. Thick and thin blood films were made and stained with Field’s stain A and B. Haematological profiles such as Haemoglobin, White Blood Cell Count, Mean Corpuscular Haemoglobin (Hb) Concentration and Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate were determined using the anticoagulated blood samples. Of the 360 blood samples examined, 342 (95.0%) comprising 170 (47.22%) males and 172 (47.78%) females were positive for Plasmodium falciparum across the three primary schools. Differences in malaria prevalence among the schools and gender was not statistically significant (P>0.05). Pupils within the age group 3 - 5 and 6 - 8 years recorded the highest infection rate of 118 (96.72%) and 102 (96.22%) respectively which was not statistically significant (P>0.05). The highest percentage of the pupils 10 (55.6%) with heavy malaria intensity had their haemoglobin levels within the lower normal range of 11.0 – 11.9g/dl. There were significant and no significant differences in the haematological profiles of the pupils – Haemoglobin and Packed Cell Volume (P<0.05) indicating mild anaemia, while White Blood Cell Counts (P>0.05) indicates mild leukopenia and for Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (P>0.05). The study showed that malaria is holoendemic in Fegge area of Onitsha and poses a significant health problem for the children in the study area. Improved health education in the schools on preventive measures for malaria transmission including integrated vector control to reduce vector-man is recommended.