Hospital-Based Survey of Malaria and Anaemia among Children 6–10 Years and Pregnant Women in Nkanu West Local Government Area, Enugu State, Nigeria

Hospital-Based Survey of Malaria and Anaemia among Children 6–10 Years and Pregnant Women in Nkanu West Local Government Area, Enugu State, Nigeria | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Hospital-Based Survey of Malaria and Anaemia among Children 6–10 Years and Pregnant Women in Nkanu West Local Government Area, Enugu State, Nigeria Chigbogu P. Nwankwocha, Elijah S. Okwuonu, Chinaza B. Ukwueze, and 4 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6249369/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Background Malaria remains a significant public health concern, disproportionately impacting vulnerable populations in resource-limited settings. A study conducted in Nkanu West Local Government Area between March and June 2023 investigated malaria prevalence and associated anaemia in children (6–10 years) and pregnant women attending a local hospital. Methods The methodological approach, utilizing both microscopy and RDTs, provided a robust assessment of malaria prevalence. Microscopic analysis confirmed parasite presence, while RDTs offered a rapid and complementary diagnostic tool. This dual approach enhanced the accuracy and reliability of the study’s findings. Result Employing both microscopic examinations of stained blood films and rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs), the study revealed alarmingly high malaria prevalence rates of 70.3% and 65.5% in children and pregnant women, respectively. Results indicated significant variations in infection rates. Female children exhibited higher prevalence compared to males, and 7-year-olds showed the highest infection rates among children. Pregnant women in their first trimester and those aged 26–30 years also displayed elevated infection rates. Furthermore, a correlation was observed between malaria infection and reduced pack cell volume, particularly in 8-year-old children and women in their third trimester, highlighting the detrimental impact on hematological health. These findings underscore the urgent need for targeted interventions, including sex-specific strategies, age-appropriate preventative measures, and geographically tailored approaches to address the persistent and substantial public health challenge posed by malaria in this specific demographic. Sustained and precisely targeted strategies for effective prevention and treatment are crucial to mitigate the enduring burden of malaria. Conclusion Research confirms malaria's persistent threat to children and pregnant women, demanding continuous monitoring and intervention enhancement nationwide. Focus should include community awareness campaigns emphasizing early detection and intervention, routine hematological testing, environmental sanitation, and insecticide-treated net usage, particularly during antenatal care. Children Pregnant women Malaria Anaemia Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 Figure 6 Figure 7 Figure 8 Figure 9 Background Malaria, a febrile illness transmitted by infected Anopheles mosquitoes, remains a significant public health challenge in Nigeria. Primarily caused by Plasmodium falciparum , alongside P. malariae , and P. ovale , the disease is vectored by Anopheles gambiae, A. funestus, A. arabiensis , and A. melas , each exhibiting distinct ecological preferences. The impact of malaria in Nigeria is devastating. It accounts for a substantial proportion of outpatient visits, childhood mortality, and maternal deaths, significantly impacting the nation's healthcare system. Beyond health, malaria imposes considerable socioeconomic burdens, including school absenteeism, reduced productivity, and a staggering financial loss estimated at 132 billion naira annually. While global efforts have yielded some decrease in malaria cases, its continued prevalence necessitates renewed focus. Nigeria, where P. falciparum predominates and children are particularly vulnerable, requires intensified efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal of eliminating malaria by 2030. Addressing this endemic disease is crucial for improving public health and fostering sustainable economic development in the nation. Malaria clinical manifestations, including haematological changes, have been associated to multiple factors, such as demographic characteristics (Barcus et al. , 2007), level of malaria endemicity (Idro et al., 2006 ), nutritional status (Friedman et al., 2005 ), and malaria immunity (Larghorne et al. , 2005); thus, the pathophysiological process of malarial anaemia seems to be especially multifactorial. Although malaria parasites induce haemolysis as the result of parasite replication and subsequent rupture of the host red blood cells (RBCs) other mechanisms such as dysregulation and/or suppression of erythropoiesis, as well as direct and indirect destruction of non-parasitized RBCs (nRBCs) have been described (Perkins et al., 2011 ). Increased levels of nRBC apoptosis (Totino et al., 2010 ) accelerated senescence (Omodeo-sale et al., 2003 ) and accelerated destruction of nRBCs by either ropsonization or complement activation (Brattig et al., 2008 ) have also been documented as major inducers of malaria-related anaemia. Additionally, micronutrient deficiencies, including iron, folate, and vitamin B12, are known to significantly contribute to malaria-related anaemia (Mfonkeu et al., 2010 ). Malaria infection causes haemolysis of parasitized and non-parasitized erythrocytes, and bone marrow dyserythropoiesis that compromises rapid recovery from anaemia (Ghosh, 2007 ). Consequently, in high malaria-endemic settings majority of infants and young children, and many older children and adults have anaemia of varying degrees (White, 2018 ). In these settings, severe life-threatening malarial anaemia requiring blood transfusion in young children is among the major cause of hospital admission, especially during the rainy season (Ehrhardt et al. , 2006). In Nigeria, reports on the clinical manifestation of malaria in children showed that cerebral malaria sequelae are a more likely outcome of severe malaria infection than severe anaemia in the north (Angyo et al., 1996 ), whereas severe malarial anaemia is a more likely outcome in the south (Anumudu et al., 2004 ). In regions with stable malaria transmission, the prevalence of anaemia or the level of haemoglobin has been suggested as an additional indicator to assess changes in malaria prevalence (Senn et al., 2010 ). Nigeria experiences intense and consistent malaria transmission, with the intensity of attacks remaining constant throughout the year or from year to year. Hypo-endemic malaria refers to cases where the spleen rate in children is less than 10%, while mesoendemic malaria occurs when the spleen rate in children is 11.50%. Hyper-endemic malaria is characterized by a spleen rate of 75% in children and over 25% in adults. Holoendemic malaria occurs when the spleen rate is over 75% in children but very low in adults. In Nigeria, rural areas exhibit holoendemic malaria, while urban areas show mesoendemic malaria. In the southern part of the country the transmission rate is approximately uniform throughout the year, in the far North there is a marked difference between the high transmission rate in the short wet season and low transmission rate in the long dry season (Lucas and Gilles, 1998 ). Malaria control interventions are intended to reduce malaria-related morbidity and mortality, which is challenging to define and measure in sub-Saharan Africa (Mathanga et al., 2010 ). Higher parasite densities are seen in high-than in low transmission settings (Kateera et al., 2016 ). Anaemia is a condition in which the number of red blood cells or the haemoglobin concentration within them is lower than normal (WHO, 2022b). In human clinical spectrum, malarial anaemia is usually normocytic and normochromic (Bashawri et al., 2002 ), without spherocytes orschistocytes. However, the anaemia associated with malaria canal so bemicrocytic and hypochromic due to the high frequencies of haemoglobin opathies and iron deficiency in endemic countries (Bashawri et al., 2002 ). Anaemia is one of the complications seen in malaria infection and contributes to its morbidity and mortality. Anaemia also contributes directly or indirectly to a significant proportion of malaria-related deaths (Papaioannou et al., 2019 ). Anaemia prevalence in children is high, especially in developing countries (DeMaeyer and Adiels-Tegman, 1985 ). Studies in areas of high and moderate transmission have shown that relative frequencies of severe anaemia and cerebral malaria (the two main presentations of severe malaria in African children vary with the level of transmission and age (WHO, 2000b). Anaemia prevalence is reported to be more sensitive to changes in malaria burden compared with parasite prevalence in long term surveys (Mathanga et al., 2010 ). Anaemia is alternately defined as a reduced absolute number of circulating red blood cells (RBCs) (Schreir, 2018 ) or a condition in which the number of RBCs (and subsequently their oxygen-carrying capacity) is insufficient to meet physiologic needs (WHO, 2011a). Though most commonly diagnosed by a low haemoglobin (Hb) concentration or a low haematocrit (Schreir, 2018 ), anaemia can also be diagnosed using RBC count, meancorpuscular volume, blood reticulocyte count, blood film analysis, or haemoglobine lectrophoresis (Balarajan et al., 2011 ). At the population level and in clinical practice, haemoglobin concentration is the most common haematological assessment method used and the most common indicator used to define anaemia (CDC, 1989). The critical role of haemoglobin to carry oxygen to the tissues explains the most common clinical symptoms of anaemia, which include fatigue, shortness of breath, bounding pulses or palpitations, conjunctival and palmarpallor (WHO, 2003b). Clinical signs and medical history are used to diagnose anaemia when haematological data are unavailable, but they are limited in their ability to detect anaemia (WHO, 2005). Severe anaemia (defined by WHO as Hb < 70 g/L in children under 5 years of age and Hb < 80 g/L in all other age groups, though other definitions, including Hb < 50 g/L, are used) is of particular importance clinically, as it can be resulting to high-output heart failure and death (WHO, 2011d). Determining abnormally low haemoglobin concentrations requires consideration of how haemoglobin naturally varies with age, sex, pregnancy status, genetic and environmental factors, and potentially race. Haemoglobin varies with age, most dramatically in the first months of life (Dewey and Chaparro, 2007 ). In the newborn, normal haemoglobin concentrations are between 17 and 21 g/L, their highest point during life (Jopling et al., 2009 ). Haemoglobin concentration then decreases through the first 2 − 3 months of life before increasing again in childhood and then levels off throughout adulthood before declining again in older age (Lynch, 2007 ). During pregnancy, because of the expansion of blood volume and consequent dilution effect, haemoglobin concentration naturally declines during the first and second trimesters, rising gradually again in the third trimester (Miller, 2014 ). Apart from physiological factors, behavior and environmental conditions, such as altitude and smoking, can also affect haemoglobin concentrations (International Nutritional Anaemia Consultative Group, 2002 ). The WHO haemoglobin cut offs for anaemia are widely applied globally and are sex, age, and pregnancy specific (WHO, 2011b). These cut offs were first established in 1968 by a nutritional anaemia study group at WHO using statistical cut offs rather than thresholds linked to meaningful health outcomes. Haemoglobin cut offs were modified slightly since then to allow for additional age divisions among children, adjustment for children in the 5 − 11 age group based on data of non iron-deficient children from the United States, and creation of the categories of “mild,” “moderate,” and “severe” anaemia (WHO, 2000a). Cut offs were also supported by findings among participants of the Second National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANESII) who were not iron deficient (CDC, 1989). The need for separate cut offs based on ethnicity/race has been proposed (e.g., individuals of African descent have lower Hb concentrations than do Caucasian populations, at least partially due to the greater prevalence of genetic haemoglobin disorders inpersons of African descent), as have revisions to the cut offs for particular age groups (e.g., very young infants) (Beutler and Waalen, 2006 ). It has been reported that over half of malaria-related deaths are attributable to severe anaemia. In the area of high prevalence of malaria, anaemia is held accountable for about half of malaria related deaths. WHO in partnership with the Roll Back Malaria (RBM) recommends that anaemia be used as one of the indicators to monitor malaria parasitaemia burden at community level (White, 2018 ). Therefore, this study intends to provide more information about this on both children and pregnant women. One cause of severe maternal anaemia often overlooked by healthproviders is malaria. Where malaria is endemic, adults generally develop substantial immunity to the disease. Pregnancy makes women more susceptible to infection, and parasites sequester in the placenta, which puts women at risk of severe anaemia and their babies at risk of being born with low birthweight. However, in such settings, pregnant women still have a degree of pre-existing immunity to malaria and, therefore, infection is generally not associated with symptoms such as a fever. In addition, peripheral blood films are frequently negative despite placental infection. Malaria is, therefore, commonly overlooked as a cause of severe anaemia and this study intends to inform about this. If the response of anaemia to various malaria interventions is known, anaemia might serve as an indicator of the success of malaria programmes. Therefore, this study would be a useful addition to the limited list of current indicators that can be used to measure the burden of malaria and the impact of malaria control overtime, particularly for African populations living at endemic malaria risk. The main objective of this study is to find out the prevalence of malaria and anaemia among children of age 6–10 years and pregnant women in Nkanu West Local Government area, Enugu State, Nigeria. The specific objectives of the study were to ascertain the prevalence of malaria parasite infections among the children and pregnant women, the haematological values of the infected children and pregnant women, the prevalence of malaria and anaemia in relation to sex, the prevalence of malaria and anaemia in relation to age group, the prevalence of malaria and anaemia in relation to location, the prevalence of malaria and anaemia in relation to pregnancy and correlate malaria parasitaemia and packed cell volume among children and pregnant women. Methods Study area The study was conducted in Nkanu West Local Government Area, which is one of the 17 LGAs within Enugu State, Nigeria. The LGA's headquarters is located in Agbani (refer to Map Fig. 2). Situated in the tropical savanna belt of Southeastern Nigeria, the study area is positioned between latitude 60 18||N and 70 33||E, covering an area of 225 square kilometers. It has a population of approximately 211,500 individuals, according to the (National Population Commission, 2022 ). The region experiences an annual average temperature range of 23.1 to 31°C, with an annual rainfall ranging from 1520 to 2030 mm. It has two distinct seasons: the rainy season, spanning from March to October, and the dry season, occurring from November to February. The majority of the population in the area are engaged in farming, cultivating crops such as yams, cassava, maize, rice, and vegetables. The people live in dispersed compounds surrounded by farmland that includes economic trees such as palm trees, bananas, mangoes, pears, breadfruit trees, among others. Due to their occupation as farmers, they are exposed to frequent mosquito bites. Study design The study was conducted at the General Laboratory of the Hematology Clinic, located at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Ituku/Ozalla. Prior to the visits, the hospital directors were informed about the research team's presence. The research team comprised of the researcher, phlebotomists, and medical laboratory scientists who provided assistance in the collection of blood samples. In order to involve children and pregnant women in the study, consent was obtained from both the pregnant women and the parents/caregivers. Study population and sample size The target population for this study is 31,296 consisting of children aged between 6 to 10 years and 43,736 women between the age of 20 to 39 years in Nkanu West Local Government Area (National Population Commission, 2022 ). The minimum sample size for this study is 374 children and 113 pregnant women, a sum total of 487 participants. The sample size for children was determined using the standard formula for calculation of minimum sample size: N = minimum sample size, Z = standard normal deviation and probability, P = prevalence or proportion of value to be estimated from previous studies, q = Proportion of failure (= 1-P), d = precision, tolerance limit, the minimum is 0.05. Therefore, \(\:\text{N}=\frac{{Z}^{2}PQ}{{D}^{2}}\) where Z = 95% (1.96), P = 58% (0.58), q = 1- 0.58 (0.42), d = 5% (0.05) N = \(\:\frac{{1.96}^{2}\left(0.58\right)\left(0.42\right)}{{0.05}^{2}}\) N = 374 Thus, the minimum sample size for children was computed to be 374. The sample size for pregnant women was also determined using the same standard formula for calculation of minimum sample size: N = minimum sample size, Z = standard normal deviation and probability, P = prevalence or proportion of value to be estimated from previous studies, q = Proportion of failure (= 1-P), d = precision, tolerance limit, the minimum is 0.05. \(\:\text{N}=\frac{{Z}^{2}PQ}{{D}^{2}}\) where Z = 95% (1.96), P= 92% (0.92), q = 1- 0.92 (0.08), d = 5% (0.05) N = \(\:\frac{{1.96}^{2}\left(0.92\right)\left(0.08\right)}{{0.05}^{2}}\) N = 113 Thus, the minimum sample size for pregnant women was computed to be 113. Therefore, the sum total of the study sample size was computed to be 374 + 113 = 487. Procedure for sample collection A volume of 2 ml of venous blood was collected from each child and pregnant woman participating in the study. To facilitate the collection, a tubing tourniquet was securely tied around the upper arm of each individual after the arm was cleaned with an antiseptic wipe. A needle was then inserted into the vein through the cleaned skin, resulting in a sharp pricking sensation. Once the required amount of blood was obtained, the tourniquet was released, and the needle was carefully withdrawn. Pressure was applied to the small wound using cotton wool for a few minutes to stop bleeding and minimize bruising. A sticking plaster was applied to the site, and the blood sample was transferred into anticoagulant specimen bottles. To ensure proper mixing, the phlebotomist gently agitated the blood sample with the assistance of a phlebotomist. The anticoagulant used in this case was EDTA, which is commonly employed for haematological tests. The chemicals therein, prevent blood from clotting by removing calcium (Cheesbrough, 2000 ). Preparation of blood films The method that was employed for staining and identification of malaria parasites in collected blood samples was as described by (Cheesbrough, 2000 ). Preparation of both thick and thin films was carried out. The thick film was prepared initially due to an increased level of parasites is ensured by this type of blood film. Procedure for thick film preparation for malaria parasite examination A small volume of anti-coagulated whole blood was carefully positioned approximately 2 cm away from the edge of a slide. Without any delay, a spreader was positioned at a 45° angle to the slide and gently brought into contact with the blood droplet. The droplet swiftly spread along the point of contact between the spreader and the slide. The resulting film expanded smoothly and rapidly as the spreader, held at an approximate 45° angle, moved forward. During this process, the cells within the thin blood smear were chemically fixed to the slide. Subsequently, the slide was subjected to staining using alpha-phenolphthalein stain, which effectively preserves the morphology of parasites and aids in the identification of parasites within the blood film. The stained slide was then rinsed with clean water to remove any excess stain. Procedure for thin film preparation for malaria parasites examination The established technique for laboratory confirmation of malaria in laboratory settings has been the conventional use of light microscopy (WHO, 1991). The meticulous examination of a well-prepared and appropriately stained blood film by a skilled microscopist remains the prevailing method for detecting and identifying malaria parasites. To accomplish this, a high-power microscope, typically set at magnifications ranging from 400 to 1,000 times and utilizing an oil immersion objective, was utilized to analyze both thick and thin blood films. (Tangpukdee et al., 2009 ; WHO, 2010). Microscopic examination The conventional method of using light microscopy has long been recognized as the standard approach for confirming malaria in laboratory settings (WHO, 1991). The meticulous evaluation of a properly prepared and stained blood film by a skilled microscopist continues to be the prevailing technique for detecting and identifying malaria parasites. A high-power microscope, typically set at magnifications ranging from 400 to 1,000 times with the aid of an oil immersion objective, was employed to examine both thick and thin blood films (Cheesbrough and Precott, 1987 ; Payne, 1988 ). Rapid diagnostic test A Malaria Plasmodium antigen detection kit (manufactured by SD Bioline, India) was utilized for diagnostic purposes. The kit consists of several components, including a test cassette that is securely enclosed in an aluminum pouch, assay diluents (buffer), and a pipette. The test cassette was extracted from the pouch and positioned on a flat surface. Utilizing the provided pipette, precisely 10ml of blood was collected from the EDTA container and transferred into the cassette. Subsequently, three drops of buffer were introduced to the blood sample, and the mixture was allowed to incubate for a short period. Following a 15-minute interval, the test cassette was examined for the presence of colored lines within the result window. A positive test result was determined if a colored line emerged at both the control region and the test region of the cassette. Conversely, a negative test result was indicated by the presence of a single colored line solely at the control region, with no appearance at the test region. Packed cell volume (PCV) The packed cell volume also called haematocrit was used to screen for anaemia. It is suitable for screening large clinic populations (Cheesbrough, 2000 ). The packed cell volume (PCV) measurement involves centrifuging whole blood to achieve optimal packing of red blood cells. The volume occupied by the red blood cells is then quantified and expressed as a percentage of the total blood volume. To perform this procedure, researchers allow well-mixed anticoagulated blood to enter a specialized capillary tube until it is approximately ¾ filled. The open end of the tube is sealed with plasticine, and the filled capillary tube is positioned in the grooves of the hematocrit centrifuge head, with the sealed end placed away from the center of the centrifuge. The centrifuge is covered by securely screwing the lid, and the blood sample is centrifuged for a duration of 5 minutes. Once the centrifuge comes to a stop, the hematocrit tubes are promptly removed and read using a hematocrit tube reader. By following this procedure, the PCV values for each child and pregnant woman can be determined. Statistical analysis The data underwent analysis utilizing the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23.0 (IBM Corporation, Armonk USA). The prevalence of malaria infection was determined by employing the Chi Square test. Mean differences in participants’ haematological values were estimated using ANOVA and the Duncan New multiple range test for post hoc analysis. Multiple comparison was utilized to distinguish statistically significant differences between means. The mean comparison of packed cell volume (PCV) between sexes was conducted using the Student’s t -test. Pearson correlation analysis was employed to examine the associations between age, parasite infection, and demographic characteristics of the participants. Results Prevalence of malaria parasite infection among children and pregnant women The overall prevalence of malaria infection among children and pregnant women in the study area are presented on Tables 1 and 2 , respectively. Malaria prevalence among the children and pregnant women in the study area was 70.3% and 65.5%, respectively. There were significant differences in prevalence according to age (p = 0.024) and sex (p = 0.005) of the children, but the locational differences was not significant (p = 0.228). There were no significant (p > 0.05) differences in the prevalence of malaria infection among the pregnant women in relation to age, trimester and location (Table 2 ). However, higher malaria infection prevalence was recorded among women within 26–30 years of age (75.0%), first trimester (71.8%) and resident in Obe community (71.4%). Table 1 Overall prevalence of malaria infection among children in the study area Indices Category Total Examined Prevalence (%) Age 6 years 74 57 (77.0) 7 years 66 52 (78.8) 8 years 59 43 (72.9) 9 years 52 28 (53.8) 10 years 123 83 (67.5) Total 374 263 (70.3) χ 2 = 11.285, p = 0.024 * Sex Male 171 108 (63.2) Female 203 155 (76.4) Total 374 263 (70.3) χ 2 = 7.745, p = 0.005 * Location Ituku/Ozalla 133 99 (74.4) Obe 69 48 (69.6) Umueze 80 58 (72.5) Agbani 92 58 (63.0) Total 374 263 (70.3) χ 2 = 4.329, p = 0.228 * Significant difference at p < 0.05 Table 2 Overall prevalence of malaria infection among pregnant women in the study area Indices Category Total Examined Prevalence (%) Age 21–25 years 19 12 (63.2) 26–30 years 36 27 (75.0) 31–35 years 28 19 (67.9) 36–40 years 20 9 (45.0) 41–45 years 10 7 (70.0) Total 113 74 (65.5) χ 2 = 5.361, p = 0.252 Trimester 1–3 months 39 28 (71.8) 4–6 months 44 31 (70.5) 7–9 months 30 15 (50.0) Total 113 74 (65.5) χ 2 = 4.351, p = 0.114 Location Ituku/Ozalla 38 26 (68.4) Obe 28 20 (71.4) Umueze 18 10 (55.6) Agbani 29 18 (62.1) Total 113 74 (65.5) χ 2 = 1.518, p = 0.678 * Significant difference at p 0.05) differences in the prevalence of malaria infection among the studied children across the locations (Table 3 ). In relation to their sex-related prevalence, 10-year old children had a significantly higher (χ 2 = 7.576, df = 1, p < 0.05) malaria infection prevalence among the females (51, 78.5%) than the males (32, 55.2%). The differences in the prevalence between the male and female children aged 6–9 years did not vary significantly (p > 0.05). Table 5 shows the prevalence of malaria parasitaemia among children in the study area according to sex. It was observed that malaria parasitaemia level did not differ significantly (p > 0.05) in prevalence between sexes among the children. Also, low parasitaemia level was higher among the children at 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 years old with prevalence of 30 (52.6%), 32 (61.5%), 18 (41.9%), 12 (42.9%), and 39 (47.0%), respectively (Table 5 ). Table 3 Prevalence of malaria infection among children in the study area according to location Age (Years) Location Total Examined Prevalence (%) 6 years Ituku/Ozalla 27 22 (81.5) Obe 19 14 (73.7) Umueze 10 9 (90.0) Agbani 18 12 (66.7) Total 74 57 (77.0) χ 2 = 4.006, p = 0.261 7 years Ituku/Ozalla 25 19 (76.0) Obe 16 12 (75.0) Umueze 18 15 (83.3) Agbani 7 6 (85.7) Total 66 52 (78.8) χ 2 = 0.677, p = 0.879 8 years Ituku/Ozalla 17 15 (88.2) Obe 8 7 (87.5) Umueze 14 10 (71.4) Agbani 20 11 (55.0) Total 59 43 (72.9) χ 2 = 6.143, p = 0.105 9 years Ituku/Ozalla 10 4 (40.0) Obe 10 6 (60.0) Umueze 17 9 (52.9) Agbani 15 9 (60.0) Total 52 28 (53.8) χ 2 = 1.158, p = 0.763 10 years Ituku/Ozalla 54 38 (70.4) Obe 16 10 (62.5) Umueze 21 15 (71.4) Agbani 32 20 (62.5) Total 123 83 (67.5) χ 2 = 1.224, p = 0.747 * Significant difference at p < 0.05 Table 4 Prevalence of malaria infection among children in the study area according to sex Age (Years) Sex Total Examined Prevalence (%) 6 years Male 42 33 (78.6) Female 32 24 (75.0) Total 74 57 (77.0) χ 2 = 0.131, p = 0.717 7 years Male 23 17 (73.9) Female 43 35 (81.4) Total 66 52 (78.8) χ 2 = 0.502, p = 0.479 8 years Male 22 14 (63.6) Female 37 29 (78.4) Total 59 43 (72.9) χ 2 = 1.517, p = 0.218 9 years Male 26 12 (46.2) Female 26 16 (61.5) Total 52 28 (53.8) χ 2 = 1.238, p = 0.266 10 years Male 58 32 (55.2) Female 65 51 (78.5) Total 123 83 (67.5) χ 2 = 7.576, p = 0.006 * * Significant difference at p < 0.05 Table 5 Prevalence of malaria parasitaemia among children in the study area according to sex Age (Years) Sex Parasitaemia levels Total (%) Low (+) Medium (++) High (+++) Very High (++++) 6 years Male 19 (57.6) 9 (27.3) 5 (15.2) 0 (0.0) 33 (57.9) Female 11 (45.8) 6 (25.0) 7 (29.2) 0 (0.0) 24 (42.1) Total 30 (52.6) 15 (26.3) 12 (21.1) 0 (0.0) 57 (100.0) χ 2 = 1.688, p = 0.430 7 years Male 8 (47.1) 5 (29.4) 4 (23.5) 0 (0.0) 17 (32.7) Female 24 (68.6) 8 (22.9) 3 (8.6) 0 (0.0) 35 (67.3) Total 32 (61.5) 13 (25.0) 7 (13.5) 0 (0.0) 52 (100.0) χ 2 = 2.959, p = 0.228 8 years Male 8 (57.1) 5 (35.7) 1 (7.1) 0 (0.0) 14 (32.6) Female 10 (34.5) 12 (41.4) 6 (20.7) 1 (3.4) 29 (67.4) Total 18 (41.9) 17 (39.5) 7 (16.3) 1 (2.3) 43 (100.0) χ 2 = 2.782, p = 0.426 9 years Male 5 (41.7) 2 (16.7) 5 (41.7) 0 (0.0) 12 (42.9) Female 7 (43.8) 6 (37.5) 3 (18.8) 0 (0.0) 16 (57.1) Total 12 (42.9) 8 (28.6) 8 (28.6) 0 (0.0) 28 (100.0) χ 2 = 2.309, p = 0.315 10 years Male 12 (37.5) 15 (46.9) 5 (15.6) 0 (0.0) 32 (38.6) Female 27 (52.9) 18 (35.3) 6 (11.8) 0 (0.0) 51 (61.4) Total 39 (47.0) 33 (39.8) 11 (13.3) 0 (0.0) 83 (100.0) χ 2 = 1.882, p = 0.390 * Significant difference at p 10,000 parasites/µl]. Prevalence of malaria infection among pregnant women in the study area according to age and trimester are presented on Tables 6 and 7 , respectively. There were no significant (p > 0.05) differences in the prevalence of malaria infection among the pregnant women across the locations (Table 6 ). Similarly, in relation to trimester, no significant (p > 0.05) differences in prevalence was observed. However, pregnant women in their first trimester in Ituku/Ozalla (12, 85.7%), Obe (8, 66.7%) and Umueze (4, 80.0%) communities had higher prevalence of malaria infection, except in Agbani that recorded higher prevalence of malaria infection (7, 70.0%) among women in second trimester of pregnancy (Table 7 ). Tables 8 and 9 shows the prevalence of malaria parasitaemia among pregnant women in the study area according to age and trimester, respectively. It was observed that malaria parasitaemia level did not differ significantly (p > 0.05) in prevalence among the age groups and pregnancy stage (trimester) of the studied women. Also, low parasitaemia level was higher among the pregnant women at Ituku/Ozalla, Obe and Umueze communities with prevalence of 11 (42.3%), 8 (40.0%) and 5 (50.0%), respectively. However, prevalence of high malaria parasiteamia was higher (7, 38.9%) among pregnant women in Agbani community (Tables 8 and 9 ). Table 6 Prevalence of malaria infection among pregnant women in the study area according to age Location Age (Years) Total Examined Prevalence (%) Ituku/Ozalla 21–25 years 5 3 (60.0) 26–30 years 15 10 (66.7) 31–35 years 9 7 (77.8) 36–40 years 7 4 (57.1) 41–45 years 2 2 (100.0) Total 38 26 (68.4) χ 2 = 1.885, p = 0.757 Obe 21–25 years 4 4 (100.0) 26–30 years 9 8 (88.9) 31–35 years 11 6 (54.5) 36–40 years 3 1 (33.3) 41–45 years 1 1 (100.0) Total 28 20 (71.4) χ 2 = 7.014, p = 0.135 Umueze 21–25 years 1 0 (0.0) 26–30 years 5 4 (80.0) 31–35 years 3 3 (100.0) 36–40 years 8 3 (37.5) 41–45 years 1 0 (0.0) Total 18 10 (55.6) χ 2 = 7.166, p = 0.127 Agbani 21–25 years 9 5 (55.6) 26–30 years 7 5 (71.4) 31–35 years 5 3 (60.0) 36–40 years 2 1 (50.0) 41–45 years 6 4 (66.7) Total 29 18 (62.1) χ 2 = 0.609, p = 0.962 * Significant difference at p < 0.05 Table 7 Prevalence of malaria infection among pregnant women in the study area according to trimester Location Trimester Total Examined Prevalence (%) Ituku/Ozalla First (1–3 months) 14 10 (71.4) Second (4–6 months) 21 14 (66.7) Third (7–9 months) 3 2 (66.7) Total 38 26 (68.4) χ 2 = 0.754, p = 0.686 Obe First (1–3 months) 12 9 (75.0) Second (4–6 months) 7 5 (71.4) Third (7–9 months) 9 6 (66.7) Total 28 20 (71.4) χ 2 = 0.316, p = 0.854 Umueze First (1–3 months) 5 3 (60.0) Second (4–6 months) 6 4 (66.7) Third (7–9 months) 7 3 (42.9) Total 18 10 (55.6) χ 2 = 1.810, p = 0.405 Agbani First (1–3 months) 8 5 (62.5) Second (4–6 months) 10 7 (70.0) Third (7–9 months) 11 6 (54.5) Total 29 18 (62.1) χ 2 = 1.395, p = 0.498 * Significant difference at p < 0.05 Table 8 Prevalence of malaria parasitaemia among pregnant women in the study area according to age Location Age (Years) Parasitaemia levels Total (%) Low (+) Medium (++) High (+++) Very High (++++) Ituku/Ozalla 21–25 years 2 (66.7) 1 (33.3) 0 (0.0) 0 (0.0) 3 (11.5) 26–30 years 3 (30.0) 4 (40.0) 3 (30.0) 0 (0.0) 10 (38.5) 31–35 years 4 (57.1) 1 (14.3) 1 (14.3) 1 (14.3) 7 (26.9) 36–40 years 2 (50.0) 2 (50.0) 0 (0.0) 0 (0.0) 4 (15.4) 41–45 years 0 (0.0) 0 (0.0) 2 (100.0) 0 (0.0) 2 (7.7) Total 11 (42.3) 8 (30.8) 6 (23.1) 1 (3.8) 26 (100.0) χ 2 = 13.943, p = 0.304 Obe 21–25 years 1 (25.0) 2 (50.0) 1 (25.0) 0 (0.0) 4 (20.0) 26–30 years 3 (37.5) 3 (37.5) 2 (25.0) 0 (0.0) 8 (40.0) 31–35 years 4 (66.7) 1 (16.7) 1 (16.7) 0 (0.0) 6 (30.0) 36–40 years 0 (0.0) 0 (0.0) 1 (100.0) 0 (0.0) 1 (5.0) 41–45 years 0 (0.0) 0 (0.0) 1 (100.0) 0 (0.0) 1 (5.0) Total 8 (40.0) 6 (30.0) 6 (30.0) 0 (0.0) 20 (100.0) χ 2 = 7.465, p = 0.487 Umueze 26–30 years 1 (25.0) 2 (50.0) 1 (25.0) 0 (0.0) 4 (40.0) 31–35 years 1 (33.3) 1 (33.3) 1 (33.3) 0 (0.0) 3 (30.0) 36–40 years 3 (100.0) 0 (0.0) 0 (0.0) 0 (0.0) 3 (30.0) Total 5 (50.0) 3 (30.0) 2 (20.0) 0 (0.0) 10 (100.0) χ 2 = 4.528, p = 0.339 Agbani 21–25 years 2 (40.0) 2 (40.0) 1 (20.0) 0 (0.0) 5 (27.8) 26–30 years 0 (0.0) 2 (40.0) 3 (60.0) 0 (0.0) 5 (27.8) 31–35 years 1 (33.3) 1 (33.3) 1 (33.3) 0 (0.0) 3 (16.7) 36–40 years 0 (0.0) 0 (0.0) 1 (100.0) 0 (0.0) 1 (5.6) 41–45 years 2 (50.0) 1 (25.0) 1 (25.0) 0 (0.0) 4 (22.2) Total 5 (27.8) 6 (33.3) 7 (38.9) 0 (0.0) 18 (100.0) χ 2 = 5.444, p = 0.709 * Significant difference at p 10,000 parasites/µl]. Table 9 Prevalence of malaria parasitaemia among pregnant women in the study area according to trimester Location Trimester Parasitaemia levels Total (%) Low (+) Medium (++) High (+++) Very High (++++) Ituku/Ozalla First (1–3 months) 4 (33.3) 3 (27.3) 3 (25.0) 1 (8.3) 11 (42.3) Second (4–6 months) 5 (38.5) 5 (38.5) 3 (23.1) 0 (0.0) 13 (50.0) Third (7–9 months) 2 (100.0) 0 (0.0) 0 (0.0) 0 (0.0) 2 (6.7) Total 11 (42.3) 8 (30.8) 6 (23.1) 1 (3.8) 26 (100.0) χ 2 = 4.708, p = 0.582 Obe First (1–3 months) 4 (50.0) 2 (25.0) 3 (33.3) 0 (0.0) 9 (45.0) Second (4–6 months) 1 (25.0) 2 (50.0) 2 (40.0) 0 (0.0) 5 (25.0) Third (7–9 months) 3 (50.0) 2 (33.3) 1 (16.7) 0 (0.0) 6 (30.0) Total 8 (40.0) 6 (30.0) 6 (30.0) 0 (0.0) 20 (100.0) χ 2 = 3.324, p = 0.505 Umueze First (1–3 months) 1 (25.0) 1 (25.0) 2 (50.0) 0 (0.0) 4 (40.0) Second (4–6 months) 2 (50.0) 2 (50.0) 0 (0.0) 0 (0.0) 4 (40.0) Third (7–9 months) 2 (100.0) 0 (0.0) 0 (0.0) 0 (0.0) 2 (20.0) Total 5 (50.0) 3 (30.0) 2 (20.0) 0 (0.0) 10 (100.0) χ 2 = 6.875, p = 0.143 Agbani First (1–3 months) 2 (33.3) 1 (16.7) 3 (50.0) 0 (0.0) 6 (33.3) Second (4–6 months) 2 (28.6) 3 (42.9) 2 (28.6) 0 (0.0) 7 (38.9) Third (7–9 months) 1 (20.0) 2 (40.0) 2 (40.0) 0 (0.0) 5 (31.2) Total 5 (27.8) 6 (33.3) 7 (38.9) 0 (0.0) 18 (100.0) χ 2 = 0.444, p = 0.979 * Significant difference at p 10,000 parasites/µl]. Mean values of pcv of children and pregnant women infected with malaria parasite Overall mean differences of packed cell volume (PCV) among children with malaria infection in the study area according to age and sex are presented on Figs. 1 and 2, respectively. The mean values of PCV of the infected children varied significantly according to age. The mean PCV of 8-year old malaria parasite infected children was significantly (p 0.05) mean difference in the children PCV level with respect to their sex ( t = 0.267, p = 0.790; Fig. 2). Figure 3 shows the mean differences of packed cell volume (PCV) among children with malaria infection in the study area according to sex. The 8-year old female children had significantly ( t = 3.540, p = 0.001) higher PCV (42.10 ± 1.03%) than their male counterparts (36.29 ± 1.00%), whereas the 10-year old male children had higher ( t = 2.720, p = 0.008) PCV level (35.84 ± 0.90%) than the females (33.22 ± 0.52%). Overall mean differences of packed cell volume (PCV) among pregnant women with malaria infection in the study area according to age and trimester are presented on Figs. 4 and 5 , respectively. The mean values of PCV of the infected pregnant women did not vary significantly (p > 0.05) according to age. Similarly, there was no significant (p > 0.05) difference in the pregnant women PCV level according to trimester. However, the PCV level was higher among the pregnant women in the third trimester (34.82 ± 0.44%; Fig. 5 ). Figures 6 and 7 shows the mean differences of packed cell volume (PCV) among pregnant women with malaria infection in the study area according to age and trimester, respectively. There was no significant (p > 0.05) difference in their mean PCV level according to the age groups across the studied locations. In relation to trimester, the PCV levels of the women at different pregnancy stages did not vary significantly for Ituku/Ozalla, Obe and Agbani communities (p > 0.05). However, in Umueze community, PCV level was significantly (p < 0.05) higher among pregnant women at third trimester (38.00 ± 0.58%) than those in first trimester (32.50 ± 1.55%; Fig. 7 ). Correlation of malaria parasitaemia and pcv among children and pregnant women Table 10 shows the correlation of demographic, parasitaemia and packed cell volume of children in the study area. It was observed from the correlation study that malaria parasitaemia had an inverse weak correlation (r = – 0.391, p < 0.01) with packed cell volume of the infected children. Similarly, the age of children recorded a negative weak correlation (r = – 0.203, p < 0.01) with their PCV levels. The correlation of obstetric, parasitaemia and packed cell volume of pregnant women in the study area is presented on Table 11 . It was observed that malaria parasitaemia among pregnant women had a significantly strong and negative correlation (r = – 0.767, p < 0.01) with their PCV levels. Table 10 Correlation of demographic, parasitaemia and packed cell volume of children in the study area Correlation ( r ) Sex Parasitaemia PCV Age Sex 1 − 0.025 0.017 0.092 Parasitaemia 1 − 0.391 ** 0.032 PCV 1 − 0.203 ** Age 1 ** Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (p < 0.01). Table 11 Correlation of obstetric, parasitaemia and packed cell volume of pregnant women in the study area Correlation ( r ) Age Parasitaemia PCV Trimester Age 1 0.037 − 0.021 0.499 ** Parasitaemia 1 − 0.767 ** 0.042 PCV 1 − 0.147 Trimester 1 ** Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (p < 0.01). Discussion A hospital-based survey of malaria related anaemia among children aged 6 to 10 years and pregnant women in Nkanu West Local Government Area was studied. An overall prevalence of 70.3% was reported in this study among children aged 6 to 10 years.This high prevalence of malaria parasites reported in this study among children was close to the report of the 71.1% prevalence obtained by Awosolu et al. ( 2021 ) among Children in Some Peri-Urban Communities in Southwestern Nigeria.Thus, this supports the report of the World Health Organization (WHO) and Nigeria Malaria Indicator Survey, which stated that malaria remains a major public health problem worldwide, particularly among children and pregnant women, and this requires integrated control measures coupled with broader efforts to accomplish a universal health coverage (WHO, 2020; NMEP, 2016). On the other hand, a higher malaria prevalence of 80.5% and 78% were reported among children in Ogun, southwestern Nigeria and Al Sabah, South Sudan(Olasehinde et al., 2010 ; Tongun et al. , 2020)respectively. Generally, the prevalence of malaria in this study falls within the Nigerian malaria risk map estimate of 70% in others (Onyiri, 2015 ).The elevated prevalence of malaria among children in the examined area may be attributed to geographical variations, challenging socio-economic conditions, and discrepancies in malaria prevention and control interventions across these regions. This study recorded an overall malaria prevalence of 65% among pregnant women, with reference to some studies that was done in Nigeria on the prevalence of malaria in pregnancy, higher percentages were reported by studies; In Portharcourt 72% Ejike et al. ( 2013 ), Benin City 78.9% Oladeinde et al. ( 2012 ), and lesser percentages in Kano state 39.2% Gajida et al. ( 2010 ) and Ile-Ife 13.1% (Falade et al ., 2010). The majority of the research was carried out in public medical facilities, where women were already receiving antenatal care, undergoing regular screenings, and receiving prophylaxis against malaria during pregnancy. The prevalence of malaria among children in relation to location shows that Ituku/Ozalla has the highest prevalence of malaria with 99 (74.4%) and Obe 20 (71.4%) shows the highest prevalence of malaria among pregnant women in this study in relation to location. The high rate of prevalence in relation to locations observed in this study could be due to the environmental conditions inherent in Obe and Ituku/Ozalla which favoured higher Plasmodium transmission in these locations. During the rainy season, the proximity of houses to bushes, refuse dumping sites, drainages, potholes on the roads, and water-retaining local pots, which serve as habitats for plasmodium vectors, could have influenced malaria transmission. Factors such as temperature, rainfall, and relative humidity (the moisture content in the air) were likely to have played a role in this study. There were no significant (p > 0.05) differences in the prevalence of malaria infection among the pregnant women in relation to age. However, the highest malaria infection prevalence was recorded among women within the age of 26–30 years 27(75.0%) and this was in line with the findings of Amalu et al. ( 2012 ) who studied comparative analysis of ACON- Plasmodium falciparum rapid malaria diagnostic test with routine microscopy among school children and pregnant women in a rural community in Enugu state, in Nigeria. Based on trimester in Umueze community, PCV level was significantly (p < 0.05) higher among pregnant women at third trimester (38.00 ± 0.58%) than those in first trimester and studies conducted by (Kefiyalew et al., 2014 ; Abriha et al., 2014 ; Getachew et al. 2012 and Dattijo et al., 2016 ) also reported highest prevalence of anaemia in the third trimester. While Olatunbosun et al. ( 2014 ) reported highest prevalence of anaemia among women in their second trimester, while most studies recorded highest prevalence at first trimester (Asrie, 2017 ; Onoh et al., 2015 ; Araoye, 2004 ; Anorlu et al., 2006 ; Hassan et al., 2014 ; Buhari et al., 2016 ; Gwarzo and Ugwa, 2013 and Udukwu and Dienye, 2012 ). This phenomenon occurs because it has been observed that in holoendemic regions, the density of parasites and the occurrence of clinical malaria are highest during the initial and early stages of the second trimester of pregnancy. This timeframe aligns with the period when there is a notable decline in both humoral and cell-mediated immunity against malaria. There is no significant (p > 0.05) mean difference in the children PCV level with respect to their sex, this is in line with the findings of (Enweani et al., 2020 ). Malaria leads to a decrease in haemoglobin levels by causing the destruction and elimination of infected red blood cells, shortening the lifespan of uninfected red blood cells, and reducing the production of red blood cells in the bone marrow. Some of the mechanism that cause anaemia during malaria illness such as haemolysis and cytokine disturbance might be associated with acute clinical state whereas chronic or repeated infestations are more likely to involve dyserythropoiesis (CDC, 2020). The mean values of PCV of the infected pregnant women did not vary significantly (p > 0.05) according to age and trimester, this is similar to the findings of (Oluwafemi et al., 2019 ). And this is because the virulence of malaria in pregnancy depends on the pregnant woman’s ability to resist malaria infection by the action of specific antibodies (Nzeakor et al., 2013 ). Consequently, expectant mothers face an increased risk of contracting malaria and experiencing its associated complications for both themselves and their unborn children. Various complications can arise, such as severe anaemia, a higher risk of spontaneous arbotion, premature delivery, the birth of low-weight infants, and the unfortunate occurrence of neonatal and maternal mortality. It is therefore crucial to understand the trend of malaria infection in pregnancy in endemic areas, the study area being inclusive and to map out effective strategy to curb its transmission (Diorgu et al., 2021 ). Conclusion According to the results obtained from the research, it is evident that malaria is still a significant issue concerning the health of both children and pregnant women.The study findings reveal a concerning high prevalence of malaria in the examined area. It emphasizes the importance of ongoing monitoring not only in this region but also in other parts of the country to assess the effectiveness of intervention programs implemented thus far. Additionally, it highlights the need to identify areas where interventions should be strengthened and improved to achieve more effective control of malaria among children and pregnant women nationwide. By doing so, a clearer understanding of the impact of interventions can be gained, leading to better strategies for combating malaria in the country. The community should organize an awareness campaign focusing on the early signs, prompt referral, and timely intervention for malaria-induced anaemia. It is important to notify clinicians about the inclusion of ongoing haematological tests in the baseline assessment of children diagnosed with malaria, allowing them to stay informed and proactive in their approach. Both rural and urban communities need to be educated about the significance of maintaining cleanliness in their environment and surroundings to prevent mosquito bites. It is crucial to ensure that children are adequately illuminated when playing outdoors during the day and while sleeping at night. Pregnant women should receive comprehensive awareness and education during antenatal care regarding the significance of utilizing insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) to prevent malaria and mosquito bites. Declarations Acknowledgements We want to appreciate the Chief Medical Director of the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital for allowing us to perform the lab work in his hospital. Additionally, we appreciate the participants who volunteered to participate. Author contributions CPN and POU conceived the study and designed the experiments, while CPN, ESO, CBU, AOO, IDO, and CPE performed all experiments. CPN, ESO, CBU, AOO, IDO, CPE, and POU interpreted the results. CPN wrote the first version of the manuscript; all authors participated in revising the manuscript, and finally approval of the manuscript. Funding Not applicable. Availability of data and materials All the data are inserted in the article. Ethics approval and consent to participate Ethical clearance was collected from the Enugu State Ministry of Health Research Ethics Committee with Ref NO .: MH/MSD/REC21/318. Another ethical clearance was also collected from the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital Health Research Ethics Committee with Ref NO .: NHREC/05/01/2008B-FWA00002458-1RB00002323. Informed consent from participants This is under ethics approval and consent form patients. Consent for publication Not applicable. Competing interests The authors declare that there are no competing interests existing among them. References Abriha, A., Yesuf, M. E. and Wassi, M. M. (2014). Prevalence and associated factors of anaemia among pregnant women of Mekelle town: A cross sectional study. BMC Research Notes, 7: 888. Angyo, J. A., Pam, S. D. and Szlachetka, R. (1996). Clinical pattern and outcome in children with acute severe falciparum malaria at Jos University Teaching Hospital, Nigeria. East African Medical Journal, 72: 823 – 826. Anorlu, R. I., Oluwole, A. A. and Abudu, O. O. (2006). Socio-demographic factors in anaemia in pregnancy at booking in Lagos, Nigeria. Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 26: 773 – 776. Anumudu, C. I., Okafor, C. M. F., Ngumohaike, V., Afolabi, K. A., Nwuba, R. I. and Nwagwu, M. (2004). Clinical manifestation and immunological response in severe paediatric malaria in Adeoyo hospital, Ibadan. African Journal of Medicine and Medical Sciences, 33: 57 - 63. Amalu, C. T., Ivoke, N., Ekeh, F. N., Ezenwaji, N. E., Atama, C. I., Okafor, F. C. and Eyo, J. E. (2012). Comparative analysis of ACON- Plasmodium falciparum rapid malaria diagnostic test with routine microscopy among school children and pregnant women in rural community Enugu state, Nigeria. Animal Research International, 9: 1585 – 1600. Araoye, M. O. (2004). Sample Size determination in research methodology with statistics for Health and social sciences. Nathadex Publishers, 115 – 120. DOI:10.12691/ajphr-5-3-2 Asrie, (2017). Prevalence of anaemia and its associated factors among pregnant women receiving antenatal care at Aymiba Health Center, Northwest Ethiopia. Journal of Blood Medicine, 8: 35 – 40. Awosolu, O. B., Yahaya, Z. S., Farah Haziqah, M. T., Simon-Oke, I. A., Olanipekun, I. T. and Onyia, M. O. (2021). Epidemiology of falciparum malaria among residents of some rural and peri-urban communities in Ekiti State, Southwestern Nigeria. Tropical Biomedicine, 38: 14 – 21. Bashawri, L. A., Mandil, A. A., Bahnassy, A. A. and Ahmed, M. A. (2002). Malaria: haematological aspects. Annals of Saudi Medicine, 22: 372 - 376. Balarajan, Y., Ramakrishnan, U., Ozaltin, E., Shankar, A. H. and Subramanian, S. V. (2011). Anaemia in low-income and middle-income countries. Lancet Infectious Diseases, 378: 2123 – 2135. Beutler, E. and Waalen, J. (2006). The definition of anaemia: what is the lower limit of normal of the blood haemoglobin concentration. Blood, 107: 1747 – 1750. Brattig, N. W., Kowalsky, K., Liu, X., Burchard, G. D., Kamena, F. and Seeberger, P. H. (2008). Plasmodium falciparum glycosylphosphatidylinositol toxin interacts with the membrane of non-parasitized red blood cells: a putative mechanism contributing to malaria anaemia. Microbes and Infectious diseases, 10: 885 – 891. Buhari, H., Imoru, M. and Erhabor, O. (2016). Anaemia in pregnant women of Sokoto residents in North Western Nigeria. Journal of Blood Disorders and Transfusion, 7: 366. Center for Disease Control (1998). Recommendations to prevent and control iron deficiency in the United States. Morbidity Mortality Weekly ReportRecommendations and Reports, 47: 1 – 29. Center for Disease Control (2020). Prevalence and risk factors of anaemia of pregnant women-6 provinces in China. China Center for Disease Control Weekly, 2: 225 – 229. Cheesbrough, M. and Precott, L. (1987). Manual of basic techniques for a health laboratory. tropical health technology, butterworth-heinemann limited, oxford. Available at: https://issuu.com/starwarsfan/docs/manual_of_basic.techniques_for-a_health_laboratory. Accessed on January 2023. Cheesbrough, M. (2000). District Laboratory. Practice in Tropical Countries,PCV and red cell indicies. Cambridge University press Edinburgh, United Kingdom, Pp. 310 - 313. Dattijo, L. M., Daru, P. H., Umar, N. I. (2016). Anaemia in Pregnancy: Prevalence and associated factors in Azare, North-East Nigeria. International Journal of Tropical Disease and Health, 11: 1 – 9. DeMaeyer, E. and Adiels-Tegman, M. (1985). The prevalence of anaemia in the world. World Health Statistics Report, 38: 302 – 316. Dewey, K. G. & Chaparro, C. M. (2007). Session 4: mineral metabolism and body composition iron status of breast-fed infants. Proceedings of Nutrition Society, 66: 412 – 442. Diorgu, F. C., Iwu, R. C. and Iwuanyanwu, P. K. C. (2021). Prevalence of malaria infection across trimesters of pregnancy and number of births in pregnant women in South-South Nigeria. Nursing and Primary Care. 5: 1 - 4. Ejike, B. U., Ohaeri, C. C., Amaechi, E. C., Ejike E. N., Okike-Osisiogu, F. U., Irole-Eze, O. P. and Belonwu, A. C. (2013). Prevalence of falciparum malaria amongst pregnant women in Aba South Local Government Area Abia State, Nigeria. Nigerian Journal of Parasitology. Available at: DOI: 10.4314/njpar.v38i1.9. Accessed on April 24, 2022. Enweani, I. B., Achukwu, N. O., Ajare, C. A., Ogbonna, U. S. (2020). Prevalence of malaria parasitaemia and anaemia among primary school children in Enugu Suburban, Enugu State, Nigeria. Journal of Medical Laboratory Science, 30: 94 – 106. Ehrhardt, S., Burchard, G. O., Mantel, C., Cramer, J. P., Kaiser, S. and Kubo, M. (2006). MalariaFalade, C., Mokuolu, O., Okafor, H., Orogade, A., Falade, A., Adedoyin, O., Oguonu, T., Maman, A., Davidson, H. H., Micheal, V. C. (2010). Epidemiology of congenital malaria in nigeria a multi-centre study. Tropical Medicine and International Health, 12: 1279 - 1287. Federal Ministry of Health (1990). Guidelines for malaria control for physicians in nigeria, Minsitry of Health, Lagos, Nigeria, 1: 1 – 45. Federal Ministry of Health (2011). National malaria and vector control division. National guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of malaria. Abuja, Nigeria: Federal Ministry of Health, National malaria and vector control division. Available at: http://www.nmcpnigeria.org. Accessed on February 12th, 2018. Friedman, J. F., Kwena, A. M., Mirel, L. B., Kariuki, S. K., Terlouw, D. J., Phillips-Howard, P. A., Hawley, W. A., Nahlen, B. L., Shi, Y. P. and ter Kuile, F. O. (2005). Malaria and nutritional status among preschool children: results from cross-sectional surveys in western Kenya. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 73: 698 –704. Gajida A. U., Ilyasu Z. and Zoakah A. I. (2010). Malaria among antenatal clients attending primary health care facilities in Kano State Nigeria. Annals of African Medicine Journals. 9: 188 – 213. Getachew M, Yewhalaw D, Tafess K, Getachew Y, Zeynudin A. (2012). Anaemia and associated risk factors among pregnant women in gilgel gibe Dam area, southwest Ethiopia. Parasites Vectors, 5: 296. Ghosh, K. (2007). Pathogenesis of anaemia in malaria: A concise review. Parasitology Research, 101: 1463 – 1469. Gwarzo, M. Y. and Ugwa, E. A. (2013). Pattern of anaemia in Northern Nigeria pregnant women. Journal of Medical Sciences, 4: 319 – 323. Hassan, A.-A., Kene, S., Mamman, A., Musa, B. and Adaji, S. (2014). Anaemia and iron deficiency in pregnant women in Zaria, Nigeria. Sub-Saharan African Journal of Medicine, 1: 36 – 39. Idro, R., Aloyo, J., Mayende, L., Bitarakwate, E., John, C. C. and Kivumbi, G. W. (2006). Severe malaria in children in areas with low, moderate and high transmission intensity in Uganda. Tropical Medicine and International Health, 11: 115 – 124. International Nutritional Anaemia Consultative Group (2002). Adjusting haemoglobin values in program surveys. INACG/USAID. Available at: https://pdf.usaidgov/pdf_docs/PDAAX458.pdf. Accessed on 10th February, 2023. Jopling, J., Henry, E. and Wiedmeier, S. E. (2009). Reference ranges for haematocrit and blood haemoglobin concentration during the neonatal period: data from a multihospital health care system. Pediatrics, 123: e333 – e337. Kateera, F., Nsobya, S. L., Tukwasibwe, S., Mens, P. F., Hakizimana, E., Grobusch, M. P., Mutesa, L., Kumar, N. and van Vugt, M. (2016). Malaria case clinical profiles and Plasmodium falciparum parasite genetic diversity: a cross sectional survey at two sites of different malaria transmission intensities in Rwanda. Malaria Journal, 15: 237. Available at: DOI: 10.1186/s12936-1287-5. Accessed on July 12, 2022. Kefiyalew F, Zemene E, Asres Y, Gedefaw L. (2014). Anaemia among pregnant women in Southeast Ethiopia: Prevalence, severity and associated risk factors. BMC Research Notes, 7: 771. Langhorne, J., Ndungu, F. M., Sponaas, A. M. and Marsh, K. (2008). Immunity to malaria. more questions than answers. Nature Immunology, 9: 725 – 732. Lucas, A. O. and Gilles, H. M. (1998). A New Short Textbook of Preventive Medicine for the Tropics: Malaria Great Britain ELBS with Edward Arnold. Publishers Pp. 188 – 192. Lynch, S. (2007). Assessing the iron status of populations: Indicators of iron status of populations: Red blood cell parameters. World Health Organization, 655 – 666. Mathanga, D. P., Campbell, C. H. J., Vanden, E. J., Wolkon, A., Bronzan, R. N., Malenga, G. J., Ali, D. and Desai, M. (2010). Comparison of anaemia and parasitaemia as indicators of malaria control in household and EPI-health facility surveys in Malawi. Malaria Journal, 9: 1 – 10. Mfonkeu, J. B., Gouado, I., Kuate, H. F., Zambou, O., Combes, V., Grau, G. E. and Zollo, P. H. (2010). Biochemical markers of nutritional status and childhood malaria severity in Cameroon. British Journal of Nutrition, 104: 886 – 892. Miller, E. M. (2014). Iron status and reproduction in US women: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1999–2006. PLoS One 9: e112216. National Malaria Elimination Programme, National Population Commission, National Bureau of Statistics and International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (2016). Nigeria Malaria Indicator Survey 2015. Abuja, Nigeria, and Rockville, Maryland, USA: Federal Ministry of Health. Federal Republic of Nigeria. National Population Commission (2022). Demographic status bulletin 2022. Available at: http://www.nigerianstat.gov.ng/pdfuploads/Demographicbulletin2002final.pdf Nzeakor, S. O., Nduka, F. O., Origie, O. A., (2013). Prevalence of malaria in pregnant women attending antenatal care at University of Port Harcourt primary health care centre, Aluu, Port Harcourt, Rivers State Nigeria. Nigeria International Journals of Scientific Research in Environmental Sciences, 1: 268 - 272. Oladeinde, B. H., Omoregie, R., Odia, I. and Oladeinde, O. B. (2012). Prevalence of malaria and anaemia among pregnant women attending a traditional birth home in Benin City Edo State Nigeria. Oman Medical Journal. 27: 232 - 236. Olasehinde, G. I., Ajay, A. A., Taiwo, S. O., Adekeye, B. T. and Adeyeba, O. A. (2010). Prevalence and management of falciparium malaria among infants and children in Ota, Ogun State, Southwestern Nigeria. African Journal of Clinical Experimental Microbiology, 11(3). Available at: DOI: 10.4314/ajcem.v11i3.57773. Accessed on October 10, 2023. Olatunbosun, O. A., Abasiattai, A. M., Bassey, E. A., James, R. S., Ibanga, G. and Morgan, A. (2014). Prevalence of anaemia among pregnant women at booking in the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, Uyo, Nigeria. BioMed Research International. Available at: DOI: 10.1155/2014/849080. Accessed on July 10, 2022. Oluwafemi, F. S., Fasoro, A. A., Akingbade, A. M., Faeji, C. O., Oni, I. O., Agunbiade, T., Agboola, A. A. and Akele, E. J. (2019). Prevalence of anaemia among pregnant women registered at antennal clinic of Ondo Specialist Hospital, Ondo State, Nigeria. Asian Hematology Research Journal, 2: 1 – 7. Omodeo-Sale, F., Motti, A., Basilico, N., Parapini, S., Olliaro, P. and Taramelli, D. (2003). Accelerated senescence of human erythrocytes cultured with Plasmodium falciparum. Blood, 102: 705 – 711. Onoh, R., Lawani, O., Ezeonu, P., Nkwo, P. T., Onoh, J. P. and Ajah, L. (2015). Predictors of anaemia in pregnancy among pregnant women accessing antenatal care in a poor resource setting in South Eastern Nigeria. Sahel Medical Journal, 18: 182 – 187. Onyiri N. (2015). Estimating malaria burden in Nigeria: a geostatistical modelling approach. Geospat Health, 10:306. Available at: DOI: 10.4081/gh.2015.306. Accessed on October 8th, 2023. Orajaka, B. N. (1996), Prevalence of malaria parasites and antimalaria drugs in use in Awka & Onitsha Anambra State.M.Sc ThesisUniversity Press Ibadan.4: 29 – 31. Payne, D. (1988). Use and limitations of light microscopy for diagnosing malaria at the primary health care level. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 66: 621 – 626. Papaioannou, I., Utzinger, J. and Vounatsou, P. (2019). Malaria-anaemia comorbidity prevalence as a measure of malaria-related deaths in sub-Saharan Africa. Scientific Report, 9: 11323. Perkins, D. J., Were, T., Davenport, G. C., Kempaiah, P., Hittner, J. B. and Ongecha, J. M. (2011). Severe malarial anaemia. Innate immunity and pathogenesis. International Journal of Biological Science, 7: 1427 – 1442. Schreir, S. L. (2018). Anaemia epidemiology, pathophysiology and etiology in low and middle income countries. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1450: 15 – 31. Senn, N., Maraga, S., Sie, A., Rogerson, S. J., Reeder, J. C., Siba, P. and Mueller, I. (2010). Population haemoglobintions mean and anaemia prevalence in Papua New Guinea: new metrics for defining malaria endemicity. PLoS One, 5: e9375. Snow, R. W., Guerra, C. A., Noor, A. M., Myinth, H. Y. and Hay, S. I. (2005). The global distribution of clinical episodes of Plasmodium falciparum malaria. Nature, 434: 214 – 217. Tangpukdee, N., Duangdee, C., Wilairatoma, P. and Krudsood, S. (2009). Malaria Diagnosis: A brief Review. Korean Journal of Parasitology, 47: 93 – 102. Totino, P. R., Magalhaes, A. D., Silva, L. A., Banic, D. M., DanielRibeiro, C. T. and Ferreira-da-Cruz, M. F. (2010). Apoptosis of non-parasitized red blood cells in malaria: a putative mechanism involved in the pathogenesis of anaemia. Malaria Journal, 9: 350. Available at: DOI: 10.1186/1475-2875-9-350. Accessed on March 13, 2023. Udukwu U. and Dienye, P. O. (2012). Prevalence and socio-demographic factors associated with anaemia in pregnancy in a primary health center in River state, Nigeria. African Journal of Primary Health Care and Family Medicine, 4:328. United Nations (2018). The sustainable development goals report 2018. Available at: http://www.un-library.org/content/books/9789213633175. Accessed on January 15, 2023. White, N. J. (2018). Anaemia and malaria. Malaria Journal, 17:317. Available at: DOI:10.1186/s12936. Accessed on April 13, 2023. World Health Organization (1991). Malaria diagnostic techniques: Manual of basic techniques for a health laboratory, Geneva. Available at: http://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/malaria/rdt-method-manual-product-testing.pdf. Accessed on September 15, 2023. World Health Organization (2000b). The management of nutrition in major emergencies Geneva. Available at: http://www.who.int/publications-details-redirect/9241545208. Accessed on February 26, 2023. World Health Organization (2003b). Pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum and newborn care: a guide for essential practice Geneva: World Health Organization. Available at: https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/101665/249580. Accessed on February 24, 2023. World Health Organization (2005). Handbook: IMCI integrated management of childhood illness Geneva. Availabe at: http://apps.who.int/iris/handle/. Accessed on February 24, 2023. World Health Organization (2010). Guidelines for the treatment of malaria, Geneva, Switzerland. Available at: http://www.who.int/publications-details-redirect/guidelines- for-malaria. Accessed on September 28, 2023. World Health Organization (2011a). Haemoglobin concentrations for the diagnosis of anaemia and assessment of severity. Available at: http://www.who.int/vmnis/indicators/ haemoglobin.pdf. Accessed on August 4, 2017. World Health Organization (2011d). Guideline: intermittent iron supplementation in preschool and school-age children. Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK179850/ Accessed on April 29, 2017. World Health Organization (2020). World malaria report 2020: 20 Years of Global Progress and Challenges. Geneva. Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/malaria. Accessed on Accessed on October 8th, 2023. Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6249369","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":430247664,"identity":"4c63e050-1be9-4aee-988b-54fa3a703dcf","order_by":0,"name":"Chigbogu P. Nwankwocha","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Nigeria","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Chigbogu","middleName":"P.","lastName":"Nwankwocha","suffix":""},{"id":430247665,"identity":"3576ee34-5f28-41f0-9ea7-774e91c753aa","order_by":1,"name":"Elijah S. Okwuonu","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAABCklEQVRIiWNgGAWjYDACdsYGA8YGBgYJCNcGQvHg08KMqiWNGC1AjKTlMGEt/MzMDQU/dzDISc7IMXxc2HY+cbt0A+ODt20MefIO2LVINjM2GPaeYTCWlsgxNp7Zdjtx55wDzIZz2xiKDQ9g12JwGOgX3jaGxHnSOWbSvEAtG24ksEmDRDY2YNdiD9Ri+Beh5RxIC/tvfFoMgCFmDFIwG6LlANgWZpDIfBzelwDaYizbJmEsOf9ZsTHPuWTjDTcSmyXnnJNI3IArxNrbnxm+bbORkzhzeONjnjI72Q03kg9+eFNmkzgfh8OAgM0AHisQAIomoIjBAZxamB9gF5fHbcsoGAWjYBSMLAAA1uhXUkD54QQAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"","institution":"University of Nigeria","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Elijah","middleName":"S.","lastName":"Okwuonu","suffix":""},{"id":430247666,"identity":"51c0ca1b-ba9b-4cef-b5ad-c0df5f41b7e1","order_by":2,"name":"Chinaza B. Ukwueze","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Nigeria","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Chinaza","middleName":"B.","lastName":"Ukwueze","suffix":""},{"id":430247667,"identity":"7ce6a39f-122f-4526-8fdf-47d08f8651a0","order_by":3,"name":"Adaobi O. Opah","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Nigeria","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Adaobi","middleName":"O.","lastName":"Opah","suffix":""},{"id":430247668,"identity":"0a3ccdf8-174d-49a2-8e12-ec1042646e49","order_by":4,"name":"Ifeanyi D. Ogbonna","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Nigeria","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Ifeanyi","middleName":"D.","lastName":"Ogbonna","suffix":""},{"id":430247669,"identity":"de0cb64c-3993-4eae-9380-2e9e5be4775c","order_by":5,"name":"Chioma P. Ezeme","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Nigeria","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Chioma","middleName":"P.","lastName":"Ezeme","suffix":""},{"id":430247671,"identity":"055f2df7-9468-4055-9d6d-55e92327fa62","order_by":6,"name":"Patience O. Ubachukwu","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Nigeria","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Patience","middleName":"O.","lastName":"Ubachukwu","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-03-18 04:53:14","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6249369/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6249369/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":79172965,"identity":"a4a235b3-e772-460e-b7f5-44154c16a8e3","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-03-25 09:45:01","extension":"png","order_by":1,"title":"Figure 1","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":5713,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eThe mean PCV of infected children.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"placeholderimage1.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6249369/v1/fbd75aab26cb43ff4e46ba58.png"},{"id":79172968,"identity":"e2325582-a913-4c28-ae47-69ff7504cf7e","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-03-25 09:45:01","extension":"png","order_by":2,"title":"Figure 2","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":5713,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eMean difference in the PCV level with respect to sex of infected children.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"placeholderimage2.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6249369/v1/792319f039951de7cf80fcd4.png"},{"id":79174475,"identity":"3bbdbf03-2163-46f4-903f-964c04c2dc3f","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-03-25 09:53:01","extension":"png","order_by":3,"title":"Figure 3","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":9586,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eOverall mean differences of packed cell volume (PCV) among children with malaria infection in the study area according to age\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"3.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6249369/v1/b018c50a52fd1fa9311a3e2f.png"},{"id":79172966,"identity":"9439608f-8723-45c4-9443-0ff54e723b9e","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-03-25 09:45:01","extension":"png","order_by":4,"title":"Figure 4","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":7784,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eOverall mean differences of packed cell volume (PCV) among children with malaria infection in the study area according to sex\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"4.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6249369/v1/583cdfb28495345d76d67dcd.png"},{"id":79172970,"identity":"a88ae43f-ba50-4032-aab4-1ed8f4a9aac2","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-03-25 09:45:01","extension":"png","order_by":5,"title":"Figure 5","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":10626,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eMean differences of packed cell volume (PCV) among children with malaria infection in the study area according to sex\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"5.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6249369/v1/59cf9cecc806d11833a3ad50.png"},{"id":79176454,"identity":"6a3d3932-8118-4dd5-8b6b-9b43b82cf632","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-03-25 10:01:01","extension":"png","order_by":6,"title":"Figure 6","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":9141,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eOverall mean differences of packed cell volume (PCV) among pregnant women with malaria infection in the study area according to age\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"6.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6249369/v1/7df562cb8a64f831743e5d28.png"},{"id":79176455,"identity":"99045d90-32e5-476e-b353-e839021ec406","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-03-25 10:01:01","extension":"png","order_by":7,"title":"Figure 7","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":9595,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eOverall mean differences of packed cell volume (PCV) among pregnant women with malaria infection in the study area according to trimester\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"7.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6249369/v1/6fa76833b2fbedd7fcdf6910.png"},{"id":79174478,"identity":"d95d31bc-522f-463a-a66f-e0f712ca34f2","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-03-25 09:53:01","extension":"png","order_by":8,"title":"Figure 8","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":15365,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eMean differences of packed cell volume (PCV) among pregnant women with malaria infection in the study area according to age\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"8.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6249369/v1/0b4b9c960230868da28735e6.png"},{"id":79172975,"identity":"26ff9806-a2d4-42fa-a206-edc5185dfef7","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-03-25 09:45:01","extension":"png","order_by":9,"title":"Figure 9","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":13222,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eMean differences of packed cell volume (PCV) among pregnant women with malaria infection in the study area according to trimester\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"9.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6249369/v1/15be0e6bf192c14ed9fc1c4c.png"},{"id":90005561,"identity":"df6699eb-9935-4ade-9323-b9a3e41459e7","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-08-27 09:33:03","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":2225261,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6249369/v1/9a183902-d008-4ed7-a2d4-eb7dc07418c7.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Hospital-Based Survey of Malaria and Anaemia among Children 6–10 Years and Pregnant Women in Nkanu West Local Government Area, Enugu State, Nigeria","fulltext":[{"header":"Background","content":"\u003cp\u003eMalaria, a febrile illness transmitted by infected Anopheles mosquitoes, remains a significant public health challenge in Nigeria. Primarily caused by \u003cem\u003ePlasmodium falciparum\u003c/em\u003e, alongside \u003cem\u003eP. malariae\u003c/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eP. ovale\u003c/em\u003e, the disease is vectored by \u003cem\u003eAnopheles gambiae, A. funestus, A. arabiensis\u003c/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eA. melas\u003c/em\u003e, each exhibiting distinct ecological preferences. The impact of malaria in Nigeria is devastating. It accounts for a substantial proportion of outpatient visits, childhood mortality, and maternal deaths, significantly impacting the nation's healthcare system. Beyond health, malaria imposes considerable socioeconomic burdens, including school absenteeism, reduced productivity, and a staggering financial loss estimated at 132\u0026nbsp;billion naira annually. While global efforts have yielded some decrease in malaria cases, its continued prevalence necessitates renewed focus. Nigeria, where \u003cem\u003eP. falciparum\u003c/em\u003e predominates and children are particularly vulnerable, requires intensified efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal of eliminating malaria by 2030. Addressing this endemic disease is crucial for improving public health and fostering sustainable economic development in the nation. Malaria clinical manifestations, including haematological changes, have been associated to multiple factors, such as demographic characteristics (Barcus \u003cem\u003eet al.\u003c/em\u003e, 2007), level of malaria endemicity (Idro et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR33\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2006\u003c/span\u003e), nutritional status (Friedman et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR27\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2005\u003c/span\u003e), and malaria immunity (Larghorne \u003cem\u003eet al.\u003c/em\u003e, 2005); thus, the pathophysiological process of malarial anaemia seems to be especially multifactorial.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAlthough malaria parasites induce haemolysis as the result of parasite replication and subsequent rupture of the host red blood cells (RBCs) other mechanisms such as dysregulation and/or suppression of erythropoiesis, as well as direct and indirect destruction of non-parasitized RBCs (nRBCs) have been described (Perkins et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR57\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2011\u003c/span\u003e). Increased levels of nRBC apoptosis (Totino et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR62\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2010\u003c/span\u003e) accelerated senescence (Omodeo-sale et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR51\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2003\u003c/span\u003e) and accelerated destruction of nRBCs by either ropsonization or complement activation (Brattig et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2008\u003c/span\u003e) have also been documented as major inducers of malaria-related anaemia. Additionally, micronutrient deficiencies, including iron, folate, and vitamin B12, are known to significantly contribute to malaria-related anaemia (Mfonkeu et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR42\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2010\u003c/span\u003e). Malaria infection causes haemolysis of parasitized and non-parasitized erythrocytes, and bone marrow dyserythropoiesis that compromises rapid recovery from anaemia (Ghosh, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR30\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2007\u003c/span\u003e). Consequently, in high malaria-endemic settings majority of infants and young children, and many older children and adults have anaemia of varying degrees (White, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR65\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e). In these settings, severe life-threatening malarial anaemia requiring blood transfusion in young children is among the major cause of hospital admission, especially during the rainy season (Ehrhardt \u003cem\u003eet al.\u003c/em\u003e, 2006).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn Nigeria, reports on the clinical manifestation of malaria in children showed that cerebral malaria sequelae are a more likely outcome of severe malaria infection than severe anaemia in the north (Angyo et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1996\u003c/span\u003e), whereas severe malarial anaemia is a more likely outcome in the south (Anumudu et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2004\u003c/span\u003e). In regions with stable malaria transmission, the prevalence of anaemia or the level of haemoglobin has been suggested as an additional indicator to assess changes in malaria prevalence (Senn et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR59\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2010\u003c/span\u003e). Nigeria experiences intense and consistent malaria transmission, with the intensity of attacks remaining constant throughout the year or from year to year. Hypo-endemic malaria refers to cases where the spleen rate in children is less than 10%, while mesoendemic malaria occurs when the spleen rate in children is 11.50%. Hyper-endemic malaria is characterized by a spleen rate of 75% in children and over 25% in adults. Holoendemic malaria occurs when the spleen rate is over 75% in children but very low in adults. In Nigeria, rural areas exhibit holoendemic malaria, while urban areas show mesoendemic malaria. In the southern part of the country the transmission rate is approximately uniform throughout the year, in the far North there is a marked difference between the high transmission rate in the short wet season and low transmission rate in the long dry season (Lucas and Gilles, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR39\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1998\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eMalaria control interventions are intended to reduce malaria-related morbidity and mortality, which is challenging to define and measure in sub-Saharan Africa (Mathanga et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR41\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2010\u003c/span\u003e). Higher parasite densities are seen in high-than in low transmission settings (Kateera et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR36\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAnaemia is a condition in which the number of red blood cells or the haemoglobin concentration within them is lower than normal (WHO, 2022b). In human clinical spectrum, malarial anaemia is usually normocytic and normochromic (Bashawri et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2002\u003c/span\u003e), without spherocytes orschistocytes. However, the anaemia associated with malaria canal so bemicrocytic and hypochromic due to the high frequencies of haemoglobin opathies and iron deficiency in endemic countries (Bashawri et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2002\u003c/span\u003e). Anaemia is one of the complications seen in malaria infection and contributes to its morbidity and mortality. Anaemia also contributes directly or indirectly to a significant proportion of malaria-related deaths (Papaioannou et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR56\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e). Anaemia prevalence in children is high, especially in developing countries (DeMaeyer and Adiels-Tegman, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1985\u003c/span\u003e). Studies in areas of high and moderate transmission have shown that relative frequencies of severe anaemia and cerebral malaria (the two main presentations of severe malaria in African children vary with the level of transmission and age (WHO, 2000b). Anaemia prevalence is reported to be more sensitive to changes in malaria burden compared with parasite prevalence in long term surveys (Mathanga et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR41\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2010\u003c/span\u003e). Anaemia is alternately defined as a reduced absolute number of circulating red blood cells (RBCs) (Schreir, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR58\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e) or a condition in which the number of RBCs (and subsequently their oxygen-carrying capacity) is insufficient to meet physiologic needs (WHO, 2011a).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThough most commonly diagnosed by a low haemoglobin (Hb) concentration or a low haematocrit (Schreir, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR58\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e), anaemia can also be diagnosed using RBC count, meancorpuscular volume, blood reticulocyte count, blood film analysis, or haemoglobine lectrophoresis (Balarajan et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2011\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAt the population level and in clinical practice, haemoglobin concentration is the most common haematological assessment method used and the most common indicator used to define anaemia (CDC, 1989). The critical role of haemoglobin to carry oxygen to the tissues explains the most common clinical symptoms of anaemia, which include fatigue, shortness of breath, bounding pulses or palpitations, conjunctival and palmarpallor (WHO, 2003b). Clinical signs and medical history are used to diagnose anaemia when haematological data are unavailable, but they are limited in their ability to detect anaemia (WHO, 2005). Severe anaemia (defined by WHO as Hb\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;70 g/L in children under 5 years of age and Hb\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;80 g/L in all other age groups, though other definitions, including Hb\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;50 g/L, are used) is of particular importance clinically, as it can be resulting to high-output heart failure and death (WHO, 2011d). Determining abnormally low haemoglobin concentrations requires consideration of how haemoglobin naturally varies with age, sex, pregnancy status, genetic and environmental factors, and potentially race. Haemoglobin varies with age, most dramatically in the first months of life (Dewey and Chaparro, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2007\u003c/span\u003e). In the newborn, normal haemoglobin concentrations are between 17 and 21 g/L, their highest point during life (Jopling et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR35\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2009\u003c/span\u003e). Haemoglobin concentration then decreases through the first 2\u0026thinsp;\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;3 months of life before increasing again in childhood and then levels off throughout adulthood before declining again in older age (Lynch, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR40\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2007\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eDuring pregnancy, because of the expansion of blood volume and consequent dilution effect, haemoglobin concentration naturally declines during the first and second trimesters, rising gradually again in the third trimester (Miller, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR43\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2014\u003c/span\u003e). Apart from physiological factors, behavior and environmental conditions, such as altitude and smoking, can also affect haemoglobin concentrations (International Nutritional Anaemia Consultative Group, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR34\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2002\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe WHO haemoglobin cut offs for anaemia are widely applied globally and are sex, age, and pregnancy specific (WHO, 2011b). These cut offs were first established in 1968 by a nutritional anaemia study group at WHO using statistical cut offs rather than thresholds linked to meaningful health outcomes. Haemoglobin cut offs were modified slightly since then to allow for additional age divisions among children, adjustment for children in the 5\u0026thinsp;\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;11 age group based on data of non iron-deficient children from the United States, and creation of the categories of \u0026ldquo;mild,\u0026rdquo; \u0026ldquo;moderate,\u0026rdquo; and \u0026ldquo;severe\u0026rdquo; anaemia (WHO, 2000a).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eCut offs were also supported by findings among participants of the Second National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANESII) who were not iron deficient (CDC, 1989). The need for separate cut offs based on ethnicity/race has been proposed (e.g., individuals of African descent have lower Hb concentrations than do Caucasian populations, at least partially due to the greater prevalence of genetic haemoglobin disorders inpersons of African descent), as have revisions to the cut offs for particular age groups (e.g., very young infants) (Beutler and Waalen, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2006\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIt has been reported that over half of malaria-related deaths are attributable to severe anaemia. In the area of high prevalence of malaria, anaemia is held accountable for about half of malaria related deaths. WHO in partnership with the Roll Back Malaria (RBM) recommends that anaemia be used as one of the indicators to monitor malaria parasitaemia burden at community level (White, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR65\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e). Therefore, this study intends to provide more information about this on both children and pregnant women. One cause of severe maternal anaemia often overlooked by healthproviders is malaria. Where malaria is endemic, adults generally develop substantial immunity to the disease. Pregnancy makes women more susceptible to infection, and parasites sequester in the placenta, which puts women at risk of severe anaemia and their babies at risk of being born with low birthweight. However, in such settings, pregnant women still have a degree of pre-existing immunity to malaria and, therefore, infection is generally not associated with symptoms such as a fever. In addition, peripheral blood films are frequently negative despite placental infection. Malaria is, therefore, commonly overlooked as a cause of severe anaemia and this study intends to inform about this. If the response of anaemia to various malaria interventions is known, anaemia might serve as an indicator of the success of malaria programmes. Therefore, this study would be a useful addition to the limited list of current indicators that can be used to measure the burden of malaria and the impact of malaria control overtime, particularly for African populations living at endemic malaria risk.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe main objective of this study is to find out the prevalence of malaria and anaemia among children of age 6\u0026ndash;10 years and pregnant women in Nkanu West Local Government area, Enugu State, Nigeria. The specific objectives of the study were to ascertain the prevalence of malaria parasite infections among the children and pregnant women, the haematological values of the infected children and pregnant women, the prevalence of malaria and anaemia in relation to sex, the prevalence of malaria and anaemia in relation to age group, the prevalence of malaria and anaemia in relation to location, the prevalence of malaria and anaemia in relation to pregnancy and correlate malaria parasitaemia and packed cell volume among children and pregnant women.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Methods","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec3\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eStudy area\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe study was conducted in Nkanu West Local Government Area, which is one of the 17 LGAs within Enugu State, Nigeria. The LGA's headquarters is located in Agbani (refer to Map Fig.\u0026nbsp;2). Situated in the tropical savanna belt of Southeastern Nigeria, the study area is positioned between latitude 60 18||N and 70 33||E, covering an area of 225 square kilometers. It has a population of approximately 211,500 individuals, according to the (National Population Commission, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR45\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e). The region experiences an annual average temperature range of 23.1 to 31\u0026deg;C, with an annual rainfall ranging from 1520 to 2030 mm. It has two distinct seasons: the rainy season, spanning from March to October, and the dry season, occurring from November to February. The majority of the population in the area are engaged in farming, cultivating crops such as yams, cassava, maize, rice, and vegetables. The people live in dispersed compounds surrounded by farmland that includes economic trees such as palm trees, bananas, mangoes, pears, breadfruit trees, among others. Due to their occupation as farmers, they are exposed to frequent mosquito bites.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eStudy design\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe study was conducted at the General Laboratory of the Hematology Clinic, located at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Ituku/Ozalla. Prior to the visits, the hospital directors were informed about the research team's presence. The research team comprised of the researcher, phlebotomists, and medical laboratory scientists who provided assistance in the collection of blood samples. In order to involve children and pregnant women in the study, consent was obtained from both the pregnant women and the parents/caregivers.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eStudy population and sample size\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe target population for this study is 31,296 consisting of children aged between 6 to 10 years and 43,736 women between the age of 20 to 39 years in Nkanu West Local Government Area (National Population Commission, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR45\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e). The minimum sample size for this study is 374 children and 113 pregnant women, a sum total of 487 participants. The sample size for children was determined using the standard formula for calculation of minimum sample size: N\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;minimum sample size, Z\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;standard normal deviation and probability, P\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;prevalence or proportion of value to be estimated from previous studies, q\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Proportion of failure (=\u0026thinsp;1-P), d\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;precision, tolerance limit, the minimum is 0.05.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTherefore, \u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\:\\text{N}=\\frac{{Z}^{2}PQ}{{D}^{2}}\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e where Z\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;95% (1.96), P\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;58% (0.58), q\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;1- 0.58 (0.42), d\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;5% (0.05)\u003c/p\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"Heading\"\u003eN = \u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\:\\frac{{1.96}^{2}\\left(0.58\\right)\\left(0.42\\right)}{{0.05}^{2}}\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec7\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eN\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;374\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThus, the minimum sample size for children was computed to be 374.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe sample size for pregnant women was also determined using the same standard formula for calculation of minimum sample size: N\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;minimum sample size, Z\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;standard normal deviation and probability, P\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;prevalence or proportion of value to be estimated from previous studies, q\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Proportion of failure (=\u0026thinsp;1-P), d\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;precision, tolerance limit, the minimum is 0.05.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\:\\text{N}=\\frac{{Z}^{2}PQ}{{D}^{2}}\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e where Z\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;95% (1.96), P= 92% (0.92), q\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;1- 0.92 (0.08), d\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;5% (0.05)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec8\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eN = \u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\:\\frac{{1.96}^{2}\\left(0.92\\right)\\left(0.08\\right)}{{0.05}^{2}}\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cdiv id=\"Sec9\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eN\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;113\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThus, the minimum sample size for pregnant women was computed to be 113.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTherefore, the sum total of the study sample size was computed to be 374\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;113\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;487.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003ch2\u003eProcedure for sample collection\u003c/h2\u003e\n \u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA volume of 2 ml of venous blood was collected from each child and pregnant woman participating in the study. To facilitate the collection, a tubing tourniquet was securely tied around the upper arm of each individual after the arm was cleaned with an antiseptic wipe. A needle was then inserted into the vein through the cleaned skin, resulting in a sharp pricking sensation. Once the required amount of blood was obtained, the tourniquet was released, and the needle was carefully withdrawn. Pressure was applied to the small wound using cotton wool for a few minutes to stop bleeding and minimize bruising. A sticking plaster was applied to the site, and the blood sample was transferred into anticoagulant specimen bottles. To ensure proper mixing, the phlebotomist gently agitated the blood sample with the assistance of a phlebotomist. The anticoagulant used in this case was EDTA, which is commonly employed for haematological tests. The chemicals therein, prevent blood from clotting by removing calcium (Cheesbrough, \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2000\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec11\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n \u003ch2\u003ePreparation of blood films\u003c/h2\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe method that was employed for staining and identification of malaria parasites in collected blood samples was as described by (Cheesbrough, \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2000\u003c/span\u003e). Preparation of both thick and thin films was carried out. The thick film was prepared initially due to an increased level of parasites is ensured by this type of blood film.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec12\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n \u003ch2\u003eProcedure for thick film preparation for malaria parasite examination\u003c/h2\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eA small volume of anti-coagulated whole blood was carefully positioned approximately 2 cm away from the edge of a slide. Without any delay, a spreader was positioned at a 45\u0026deg; angle to the slide and gently brought into contact with the blood droplet. The droplet swiftly spread along the point of contact between the spreader and the slide. The resulting film expanded smoothly and rapidly as the spreader, held at an approximate 45\u0026deg; angle, moved forward. During this process, the cells within the thin blood smear were chemically fixed to the slide. Subsequently, the slide was subjected to staining using alpha-phenolphthalein stain, which effectively preserves the morphology of parasites and aids in the identification of parasites within the blood film. The stained slide was then rinsed with clean water to remove any excess stain.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec13\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n \u003ch2\u003eProcedure for thin film preparation for malaria parasites examination\u003c/h2\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe established technique for laboratory confirmation of malaria in laboratory settings has been the conventional use of light microscopy (WHO, 1991). The meticulous examination of a well-prepared and appropriately stained blood film by a skilled microscopist remains the prevailing method for detecting and identifying malaria parasites. To accomplish this, a high-power microscope, typically set at magnifications ranging from 400 to 1,000 times and utilizing an oil immersion objective, was utilized to analyze both thick and thin blood films. (Tangpukdee et al., \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2009\u003c/span\u003e; WHO, 2010).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec14\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n \u003ch2\u003eMicroscopic examination\u003c/h2\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe conventional method of using light microscopy has long been recognized as the standard approach for confirming malaria in laboratory settings (WHO, 1991). The meticulous evaluation of a properly prepared and stained blood film by a skilled microscopist continues to be the prevailing technique for detecting and identifying malaria parasites. A high-power microscope, typically set at magnifications ranging from 400 to 1,000 times with the aid of an oil immersion objective, was employed to examine both thick and thin blood films (Cheesbrough and Precott, \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1987\u003c/span\u003e; Payne, \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1988\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec15\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n \u003ch2\u003eRapid diagnostic test\u003c/h2\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eA Malaria \u003cem\u003ePlasmodium\u003c/em\u003e antigen detection kit (manufactured by SD Bioline, India) was utilized for diagnostic purposes. The kit consists of several components, including a test cassette that is securely enclosed in an aluminum pouch, assay diluents (buffer), and a pipette. The test cassette was extracted from the pouch and positioned on a flat surface. Utilizing the provided pipette, precisely 10ml of blood was collected from the EDTA container and transferred into the cassette. Subsequently, three drops of buffer were introduced to the blood sample, and the mixture was allowed to incubate for a short period. Following a 15-minute interval, the test cassette was examined for the presence of colored lines within the result window. A positive test result was determined if a colored line emerged at both the control region and the test region of the cassette. Conversely, a negative test result was indicated by the presence of a single colored line solely at the control region, with no appearance at the test region.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec16\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n \u003ch2\u003ePacked cell volume (PCV)\u003c/h2\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe packed cell volume also called haematocrit was used to screen for anaemia. It is suitable for screening large clinic populations (Cheesbrough, \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2000\u003c/span\u003e). The packed cell volume (PCV) measurement involves centrifuging whole blood to achieve optimal packing of red blood cells. The volume occupied by the red blood cells is then quantified and expressed as a percentage of the total blood volume. To perform this procedure, researchers allow well-mixed anticoagulated blood to enter a specialized capillary tube until it is approximately \u0026frac34; filled. The open end of the tube is sealed with plasticine, and the filled capillary tube is positioned in the grooves of the hematocrit centrifuge head, with the sealed end placed away from the center of the centrifuge. The centrifuge is covered by securely screwing the lid, and the blood sample is centrifuged for a duration of 5 minutes. Once the centrifuge comes to a stop, the hematocrit tubes are promptly removed and read using a hematocrit tube reader. By following this procedure, the PCV values for each child and pregnant woman can be determined.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec17\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n \u003ch2\u003e\u003cimg src=\"data:image/png;base64,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\" style=\"width: 428px; height: 76.2683px;\" width=\"428\" height=\"76.2683\"\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec18\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n \u003ch2\u003eStatistical analysis\u003c/h2\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe data underwent analysis utilizing the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23.0 (IBM Corporation, Armonk USA). The prevalence of malaria infection was determined by employing the Chi Square test. Mean differences in participants\u0026rsquo; haematological values were estimated using ANOVA and the Duncan New multiple range test for post hoc analysis. Multiple comparison was utilized to distinguish statistically significant differences between means. The mean comparison of packed cell volume (PCV) between sexes was conducted using the Student\u0026rsquo;s \u003cem\u003et\u003c/em\u003e-test. Pearson correlation analysis was employed to examine the associations between age, parasite infection, and demographic characteristics of the participants.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"Results","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec20\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003ePrevalence of malaria parasite infection among children and pregnant women\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe overall prevalence of malaria infection among children and pregnant women in the study area are presented on Tables \u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e and \u003cspan refid=\"Tab2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e, respectively. Malaria prevalence among the children and pregnant women in the study area was 70.3% and 65.5%, respectively. There were significant differences in prevalence according to age (p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.024) and sex (p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.005) of the children, but the locational differences was not significant (p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.228). There were no significant (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;0.05) differences in the prevalence of malaria infection among the pregnant women in relation to age, trimester and location (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e). However, higher malaria infection prevalence was recorded among women within 26\u0026ndash;30 years of age (75.0%), first trimester (71.8%) and resident in Obe community (71.4%).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab1\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 1\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOverall prevalence of malaria infection among children in the study area\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"4\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIndices\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCategory\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal Examined\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePrevalence (%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAge\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e74\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e57 (77.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e66\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e52 (78.8)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e59\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e43 (72.9)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e52\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e28 (53.8)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e123\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e83 (67.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e374\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e263 (70.3)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eχ\u003c/b\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cb\u003e2\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u003cb\u003e=\u0026thinsp;11.285, p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.024\u003c/b\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cb\u003e*\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSex\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMale\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e171\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e108 (63.2)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFemale\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e203\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e155 (76.4)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e374\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e263 (70.3)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eχ\u003c/b\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cb\u003e2\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u003cb\u003e=\u0026thinsp;7.745, p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.005\u003c/b\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cb\u003e*\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLocation\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eItuku/Ozalla\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e133\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e99 (74.4)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eObe\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e69\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e48 (69.6)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUmueze\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e80\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e58 (72.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAgbani\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e92\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e58 (63.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e374\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e263 (70.3)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eχ\u003c/b\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cb\u003e2\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u003cb\u003e=\u0026thinsp;4.329, p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.228\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003ctfoot\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"4\"\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cb\u003e*\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/sup\u003eSignificant difference at p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tfoot\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab2\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 2\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOverall prevalence of malaria infection among pregnant women in the study area\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"4\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIndices\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCategory\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal Examined\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePrevalence (%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAge\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e21\u0026ndash;25 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e19\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12 (63.2)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e26\u0026ndash;30 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e36\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e27 (75.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e31\u0026ndash;35 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e28\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e19 (67.9)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e36\u0026ndash;40 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e20\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9 (45.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e41\u0026ndash;45 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7 (70.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e113\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e74 (65.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eχ\u003c/b\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cb\u003e2\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u003cb\u003e=\u0026thinsp;5.361, p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.252\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTrimester\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u0026ndash;3 months\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e39\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e28 (71.8)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u0026ndash;6 months\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e44\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e31 (70.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7\u0026ndash;9 months\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e30\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e15 (50.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e113\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e74 (65.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eχ\u003c/b\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cb\u003e2\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u003cb\u003e=\u0026thinsp;4.351, p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.114\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLocation\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eItuku/Ozalla\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e38\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e26 (68.4)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eObe\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e28\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e20 (71.4)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUmueze\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e18\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10 (55.6)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAgbani\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e29\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e18 (62.1)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e113\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e74 (65.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eχ\u003c/b\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cb\u003e2\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u003cb\u003e=\u0026thinsp;1.518, p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.678\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003ctfoot\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"4\"\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cb\u003e*\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/sup\u003eSignificant difference at p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tfoot\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePrevalence of malaria infection among children in the study area according to location and sex are presented on Tables \u003cspan refid=\"Tab3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e and \u003cspan refid=\"Tab4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e, respectively. There were no significant (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;0.05) differences in the prevalence of malaria infection among the studied children across the locations (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e). In relation to their sex-related prevalence, 10-year old children had a significantly higher (χ\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;7.576, df\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;1, p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05) malaria infection prevalence among the females (51, 78.5%) than the males (32, 55.2%). The differences in the prevalence between the male and female children aged 6\u0026ndash;9 years did not vary significantly (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;0.05).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTable\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e shows the prevalence of malaria parasitaemia among children in the study area according to sex. It was observed that malaria parasitaemia level did not differ significantly (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;0.05) in prevalence between sexes among the children. Also, low parasitaemia level was higher among the children at 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 years old with prevalence of 30 (52.6%), 32 (61.5%), 18 (41.9%), 12 (42.9%), and 39 (47.0%), respectively (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab3\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 3\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePrevalence of malaria infection among children in the study area according to location\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"4\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAge (Years)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLocation\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal Examined\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePrevalence (%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eItuku/Ozalla\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e27\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e22 (81.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eObe\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e19\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14 (73.7)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUmueze\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9 (90.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAgbani\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e18\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12 (66.7)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e74\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e57 (77.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eχ\u003c/b\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cb\u003e2\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u003cb\u003e=\u0026thinsp;4.006, p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.261\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eItuku/Ozalla\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e25\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e19 (76.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eObe\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e16\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12 (75.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUmueze\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e18\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e15 (83.3)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAgbani\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6 (85.7)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e66\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e52 (78.8)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eχ\u003c/b\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cb\u003e2\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u003cb\u003e=\u0026thinsp;0.677, p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.879\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eItuku/Ozalla\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e17\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e15 (88.2)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eObe\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7 (87.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUmueze\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10 (71.4)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAgbani\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e20\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11 (55.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e59\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e43 (72.9)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eχ\u003c/b\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cb\u003e2\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u003cb\u003e=\u0026thinsp;6.143, p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.105\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eItuku/Ozalla\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4 (40.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eObe\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6 (60.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUmueze\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e17\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9 (52.9)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAgbani\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e15\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9 (60.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e52\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e28 (53.8)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eχ\u003c/b\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cb\u003e2\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u003cb\u003e=\u0026thinsp;1.158, p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.763\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eItuku/Ozalla\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e54\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e38 (70.4)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eObe\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e16\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10 (62.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUmueze\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e21\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e15 (71.4)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAgbani\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e32\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e20 (62.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e123\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e83 (67.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eχ\u003c/b\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cb\u003e2\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u003cb\u003e=\u0026thinsp;1.224, p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.747\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003ctfoot\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"4\"\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cb\u003e*\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/sup\u003eSignificant difference at p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tfoot\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab4\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 4\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePrevalence of malaria infection among children in the study area according to sex\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"4\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAge (Years)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSex\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal Examined\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePrevalence (%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMale\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e42\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e33 (78.6)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFemale\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e32\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e24 (75.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e74\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e57 (77.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eχ\u003c/b\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cb\u003e2\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u003cb\u003e=\u0026thinsp;0.131, p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.717\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMale\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e23\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e17 (73.9)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFemale\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e43\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e35 (81.4)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e66\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e52 (78.8)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eχ\u003c/b\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cb\u003e2\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u003cb\u003e=\u0026thinsp;0.502, p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.479\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMale\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e22\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14 (63.6)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFemale\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e37\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e29 (78.4)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e59\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e43 (72.9)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eχ\u003c/b\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cb\u003e2\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u003cb\u003e=\u0026thinsp;1.517, p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.218\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMale\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e26\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12 (46.2)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFemale\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e26\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e16 (61.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e52\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e28 (53.8)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eχ\u003c/b\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cb\u003e2\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u003cb\u003e=\u0026thinsp;1.238, p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.266\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMale\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e58\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e32 (55.2)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFemale\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e65\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e51 (78.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e123\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e83 (67.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eχ\u003c/b\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cb\u003e2\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u003cb\u003e=\u0026thinsp;7.576, p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.006\u003c/b\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cb\u003e*\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003ctfoot\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"4\"\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cb\u003e*\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/sup\u003eSignificant difference at p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tfoot\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab5\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 5\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePrevalence of malaria parasitaemia among children in the study area according to sex\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"7\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c7\" colnum=\"7\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAge (Years)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSex\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c4\" namest=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eParasitaemia levels\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal (%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLow\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(+)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMedium\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(++)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHigh\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(+++)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eVery High\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(++++)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMale\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e19 (57.6)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9 (27.3)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5 (15.2)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0 (0.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e33 (57.9)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFemale\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11 (45.8)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6 (25.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7 (29.2)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0 (0.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e24 (42.1)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e30 (52.6)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e15 (26.3)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12 (21.1)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0 (0.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e57 (100.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c7\" namest=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eχ\u003c/b\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cb\u003e2\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u003cb\u003e=\u0026thinsp;1.688, p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.430\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMale\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8 (47.1)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5 (29.4)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4 (23.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0 (0.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e17 (32.7)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFemale\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e24 (68.6)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8 (22.9)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3 (8.6)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0 (0.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e35 (67.3)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e32 (61.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e13 (25.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7 (13.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0 (0.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e52 (100.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c7\" namest=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eχ\u003c/b\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cb\u003e2\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u003cb\u003e=\u0026thinsp;2.959, p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.228\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMale\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8 (57.1)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5 (35.7)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1 (7.1)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0 (0.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14 (32.6)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFemale\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10 (34.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12 (41.4)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6 (20.7)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1 (3.4)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e29 (67.4)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e18 (41.9)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e17 (39.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7 (16.3)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1 (2.3)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e43 (100.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c7\" namest=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eχ\u003c/b\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cb\u003e2\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u003cb\u003e=\u0026thinsp;2.782, p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.426\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMale\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5 (41.7)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2 (16.7)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5 (41.7)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0 (0.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12 (42.9)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFemale\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7 (43.8)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6 (37.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3 (18.8)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0 (0.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e16 (57.1)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12 (42.9)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8 (28.6)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8 (28.6)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0 (0.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e28 (100.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c7\" namest=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eχ\u003c/b\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cb\u003e2\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u003cb\u003e=\u0026thinsp;2.309, p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.315\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMale\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12 (37.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e15 (46.9)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5 (15.6)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0 (0.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e32 (38.6)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFemale\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e27 (52.9)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e18 (35.3)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6 (11.8)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0 (0.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e51 (61.4)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e39 (47.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e33 (39.8)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11 (13.3)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0 (0.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e83 (100.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c7\" namest=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eχ\u003c/b\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cb\u003e2\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u003cb\u003e=\u0026thinsp;1.882, p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.390\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003csup\u003e \u003cb\u003e*\u003c/b\u003e \u003c/sup\u003eSignificant difference at p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05; [\u003cb\u003e+\u003c/b\u003e, 10\u0026ndash;90 parasites/\u0026micro;l; \u003cb\u003e++\u003c/b\u003e, 100-1,000 parasites/\u0026micro;l; \u003cb\u003e+++\u003c/b\u003e, 1,000\u0026ndash;10,000 parasites/\u0026micro;l; \u003cb\u003e++++\u003c/b\u003e, \u0026gt; 10,000 parasites/\u0026micro;l].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePrevalence of malaria infection among pregnant women in the study area according to age and trimester are presented on Tables \u003cspan refid=\"Tab6\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e and \u003cspan refid=\"Tab7\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e, respectively. There were no significant (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;0.05) differences in the prevalence of malaria infection among the pregnant women across the locations (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab6\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e). Similarly, in relation to trimester, no significant (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;0.05) differences in prevalence was observed. However, pregnant women in their first trimester in Ituku/Ozalla (12, 85.7%), Obe (8, 66.7%) and Umueze (4, 80.0%) communities had higher prevalence of malaria infection, except in Agbani that recorded higher prevalence of malaria infection (7, 70.0%) among women in second trimester of pregnancy (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab7\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTables\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab8\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003e and \u003cspan refid=\"Tab9\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003e shows the prevalence of malaria parasitaemia among pregnant women in the study area according to age and trimester, respectively. It was observed that malaria parasitaemia level did not differ significantly (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;0.05) in prevalence among the age groups and pregnancy stage (trimester) of the studied women. Also, low parasitaemia level was higher among the pregnant women at Ituku/Ozalla, Obe and Umueze communities with prevalence of 11 (42.3%), 8 (40.0%) and 5 (50.0%), respectively. However, prevalence of high malaria parasiteamia was higher (7, 38.9%) among pregnant women in Agbani community (Tables\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab8\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003e and \u003cspan refid=\"Tab9\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab6\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 6\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePrevalence of malaria infection among pregnant women in the study area according to age\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"4\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLocation\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAge (Years)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal Examined\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePrevalence (%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eItuku/Ozalla\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e21\u0026ndash;25 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3 (60.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e26\u0026ndash;30 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e15\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10 (66.7)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e31\u0026ndash;35 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7 (77.8)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e36\u0026ndash;40 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4 (57.1)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e41\u0026ndash;45 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2 (100.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e38\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e26 (68.4)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eχ\u003c/b\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cb\u003e2\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u003cb\u003e=\u0026thinsp;1.885, p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.757\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eObe\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e21\u0026ndash;25 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4 (100.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e26\u0026ndash;30 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8 (88.9)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e31\u0026ndash;35 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6 (54.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e36\u0026ndash;40 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1 (33.3)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e41\u0026ndash;45 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1 (100.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e28\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e20 (71.4)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eχ\u003c/b\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cb\u003e2\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u003cb\u003e=\u0026thinsp;7.014, p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.135\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUmueze\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e21\u0026ndash;25 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0 (0.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e26\u0026ndash;30 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4 (80.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e31\u0026ndash;35 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3 (100.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e36\u0026ndash;40 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3 (37.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e41\u0026ndash;45 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0 (0.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e18\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10 (55.6)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eχ\u003c/b\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cb\u003e2\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u003cb\u003e=\u0026thinsp;7.166, p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.127\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAgbani\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e21\u0026ndash;25 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5 (55.6)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e26\u0026ndash;30 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5 (71.4)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e31\u0026ndash;35 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3 (60.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e36\u0026ndash;40 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1 (50.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e41\u0026ndash;45 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4 (66.7)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e29\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e18 (62.1)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eχ\u003c/b\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cb\u003e2\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u003cb\u003e=\u0026thinsp;0.609, p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.962\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003ctfoot\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"4\"\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cb\u003e*\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/sup\u003eSignificant difference at p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tfoot\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab7\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 7\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePrevalence of malaria infection among pregnant women in the study area according to trimester\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"4\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLocation\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTrimester\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal Examined\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePrevalence (%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eItuku/Ozalla\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFirst (1\u0026ndash;3 months)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10 (71.4)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSecond (4\u0026ndash;6 months)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e21\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14 (66.7)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eThird (7\u0026ndash;9 months)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2 (66.7)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e38\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e26 (68.4)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eχ\u003c/b\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cb\u003e2\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u003cb\u003e=\u0026thinsp;0.754, p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.686\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eObe\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFirst (1\u0026ndash;3 months)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9 (75.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSecond (4\u0026ndash;6 months)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5 (71.4)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eThird (7\u0026ndash;9 months)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6 (66.7)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e28\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e20 (71.4)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eχ\u003c/b\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cb\u003e2\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u003cb\u003e=\u0026thinsp;0.316, p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.854\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUmueze\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFirst (1\u0026ndash;3 months)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3 (60.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSecond (4\u0026ndash;6 months)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4 (66.7)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eThird (7\u0026ndash;9 months)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3 (42.9)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e18\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10 (55.6)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eχ\u003c/b\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cb\u003e2\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u003cb\u003e=\u0026thinsp;1.810, p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.405\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAgbani\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFirst (1\u0026ndash;3 months)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5 (62.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSecond (4\u0026ndash;6 months)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7 (70.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eThird (7\u0026ndash;9 months)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6 (54.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e29\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e18 (62.1)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eχ\u003c/b\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cb\u003e2\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u003cb\u003e=\u0026thinsp;1.395, p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.498\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003ctfoot\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"4\"\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cb\u003e*\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/sup\u003eSignificant difference at p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tfoot\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab8\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 8\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePrevalence of malaria parasitaemia among pregnant women in the study area according to age\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"7\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c7\" colnum=\"7\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLocation\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAge (Years)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c4\" namest=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eParasitaemia levels\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal (%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLow\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(+)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMedium\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(++)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHigh\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(+++)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eVery High\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(++++)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eItuku/Ozalla\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e21\u0026ndash;25 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2 (66.7)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1 (33.3)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0 (0.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0 (0.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3 (11.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e26\u0026ndash;30 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3 (30.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4 (40.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3 (30.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0 (0.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10 (38.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e31\u0026ndash;35 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4 (57.1)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1 (14.3)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1 (14.3)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1 (14.3)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7 (26.9)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e36\u0026ndash;40 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2 (50.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2 (50.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0 (0.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0 (0.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4 (15.4)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e41\u0026ndash;45 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0 (0.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0 (0.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2 (100.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0 (0.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2 (7.7)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11 (42.3)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8 (30.8)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6 (23.1)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1 (3.8)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e26 (100.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c7\" namest=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eχ\u003c/b\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cb\u003e2\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u003cb\u003e=\u0026thinsp;13.943, p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.304\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eObe\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e21\u0026ndash;25 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1 (25.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2 (50.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1 (25.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0 (0.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4 (20.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e26\u0026ndash;30 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3 (37.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3 (37.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2 (25.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0 (0.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8 (40.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e31\u0026ndash;35 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4 (66.7)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1 (16.7)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1 (16.7)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0 (0.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6 (30.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e36\u0026ndash;40 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0 (0.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0 (0.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1 (100.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0 (0.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1 (5.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e41\u0026ndash;45 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0 (0.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0 (0.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1 (100.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0 (0.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1 (5.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8 (40.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6 (30.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6 (30.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0 (0.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e20 (100.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c7\" namest=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eχ\u003c/b\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cb\u003e2\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u003cb\u003e=\u0026thinsp;7.465, p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.487\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUmueze\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e26\u0026ndash;30 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1 (25.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2 (50.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1 (25.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0 (0.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4 (40.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e31\u0026ndash;35 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1 (33.3)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1 (33.3)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1 (33.3)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0 (0.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3 (30.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e36\u0026ndash;40 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3 (100.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0 (0.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0 (0.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0 (0.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3 (30.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5 (50.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3 (30.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2 (20.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0 (0.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10 (100.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c7\" namest=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eχ\u003c/b\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cb\u003e2\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u003cb\u003e=\u0026thinsp;4.528, p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.339\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAgbani\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e21\u0026ndash;25 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2 (40.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2 (40.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1 (20.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0 (0.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5 (27.8)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e26\u0026ndash;30 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0 (0.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2 (40.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3 (60.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0 (0.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5 (27.8)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e31\u0026ndash;35 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1 (33.3)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1 (33.3)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1 (33.3)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0 (0.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3 (16.7)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e36\u0026ndash;40 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0 (0.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0 (0.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1 (100.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0 (0.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1 (5.6)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e41\u0026ndash;45 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2 (50.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1 (25.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1 (25.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0 (0.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4 (22.2)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5 (27.8)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6 (33.3)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7 (38.9)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0 (0.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e18 (100.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c7\" namest=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eχ\u003c/b\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cb\u003e2\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u003cb\u003e=\u0026thinsp;5.444, p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.709\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003csup\u003e \u003cb\u003e*\u003c/b\u003e \u003c/sup\u003eSignificant difference at p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05; [\u003cb\u003e+\u003c/b\u003e, 10\u0026ndash;90 parasites/\u0026micro;l; \u003cb\u003e++\u003c/b\u003e, 100-1,000 parasites/\u0026micro;l; \u003cb\u003e+++\u003c/b\u003e, 1,000\u0026ndash;10,000 parasites/\u0026micro;l; \u003cb\u003e++++\u003c/b\u003e, \u0026gt; 10,000 parasites/\u0026micro;l].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab9\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 9\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePrevalence of malaria parasitaemia among pregnant women in the study area according to trimester\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"8\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c7\" colnum=\"7\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c8\" colnum=\"8\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLocation\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTrimester\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c4\" namest=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eParasitaemia levels\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" morerows=\"1\" nameend=\"c8\" namest=\"c7\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal (%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLow\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(+)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMedium\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(++)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHigh\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(+++)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eVery High\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(++++)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eItuku/Ozalla\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFirst (1\u0026ndash;3 months)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4 (33.3)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3 (27.3)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3 (25.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1 (8.3)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c8\" namest=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11 (42.3)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSecond (4\u0026ndash;6 months)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5 (38.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5 (38.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3 (23.1)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0 (0.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c8\" namest=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e13 (50.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eThird (7\u0026ndash;9 months)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2 (100.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0 (0.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0 (0.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0 (0.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c8\" namest=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2 (6.7)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11 (42.3)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8 (30.8)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6 (23.1)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1 (3.8)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c8\" namest=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e26 (100.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c7\" namest=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eχ\u003c/b\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cb\u003e2\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u003cb\u003e=\u0026thinsp;4.708, p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.582\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"1\" nameend=\"c8\" namest=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eObe\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFirst (1\u0026ndash;3 months)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4 (50.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2 (25.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3 (33.3)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0 (0.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c8\" namest=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9 (45.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSecond (4\u0026ndash;6 months)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1 (25.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2 (50.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2 (40.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0 (0.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c8\" namest=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5 (25.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eThird (7\u0026ndash;9 months)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3 (50.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2 (33.3)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1 (16.7)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0 (0.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c8\" namest=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6 (30.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8 (40.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6 (30.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6 (30.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0 (0.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c8\" namest=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e20 (100.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c7\" namest=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eχ\u003c/b\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cb\u003e2\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u003cb\u003e=\u0026thinsp;3.324, p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.505\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"1\" nameend=\"c8\" namest=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUmueze\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFirst (1\u0026ndash;3 months)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1 (25.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1 (25.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2 (50.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0 (0.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c8\" namest=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4 (40.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSecond (4\u0026ndash;6 months)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2 (50.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2 (50.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0 (0.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0 (0.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c8\" namest=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4 (40.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eThird (7\u0026ndash;9 months)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2 (100.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0 (0.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0 (0.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0 (0.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c8\" namest=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2 (20.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5 (50.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3 (30.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2 (20.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0 (0.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c8\" namest=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10 (100.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c7\" namest=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eχ\u003c/b\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cb\u003e2\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u003cb\u003e=\u0026thinsp;6.875, p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.143\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"1\" nameend=\"c8\" namest=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAgbani\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFirst (1\u0026ndash;3 months)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2 (33.3)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1 (16.7)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3 (50.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0 (0.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c8\" namest=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6 (33.3)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSecond (4\u0026ndash;6 months)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2 (28.6)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3 (42.9)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2 (28.6)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0 (0.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c8\" namest=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7 (38.9)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eThird (7\u0026ndash;9 months)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1 (20.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2 (40.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2 (40.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0 (0.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c8\" namest=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5 (31.2)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5 (27.8)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6 (33.3)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7 (38.9)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0 (0.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c8\" namest=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e18 (100.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c7\" namest=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eχ\u003c/b\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cb\u003e2\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u003cb\u003e=\u0026thinsp;0.444, p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.979\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"1\" nameend=\"c8\" namest=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003csup\u003e \u003cb\u003e*\u003c/b\u003e \u003c/sup\u003eSignificant difference at p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05; [\u003cb\u003e+\u003c/b\u003e, 10\u0026ndash;90 parasites/\u0026micro;l; \u003cb\u003e++\u003c/b\u003e, 100-1,000 parasites/\u0026micro;l; \u003cb\u003e+++\u003c/b\u003e, 1,000\u0026ndash;10,000 parasites/\u0026micro;l; \u003cb\u003e++++\u003c/b\u003e, \u0026gt; 10,000 parasites/\u0026micro;l].\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec21\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eMean values of pcv of children and pregnant women infected with malaria parasite\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eOverall mean differences of packed cell volume (PCV) among children with malaria infection in the study area according to age and sex are presented on Figs.\u0026nbsp;1 and 2, respectively. The mean values of PCV of the infected children varied significantly according to age. The mean PCV of 8-year old malaria parasite infected children was significantly (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05) higher than the other age groups (40.21\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.87%; Fig.\u0026nbsp;1). There is no significant (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;0.05) mean difference in the children PCV level with respect to their sex (\u003cem\u003et\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.267, p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.790; Fig.\u0026nbsp;2).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFigure \u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e shows the mean differences of packed cell volume (PCV) among children with malaria infection in the study area according to sex. The 8-year old female children had significantly (\u003cem\u003et\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;3.540, p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.001) higher PCV (42.10\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.03%) than their male counterparts (36.29\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.00%), whereas the 10-year old male children had higher (\u003cem\u003et\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;2.720, p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.008) PCV level (35.84\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.90%) than the females (33.22\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.52%).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eOverall mean differences of packed cell volume (PCV) among pregnant women with malaria infection in the study area according to age and trimester are presented on Figs.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e and \u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e, respectively. The mean values of PCV of the infected pregnant women did not vary significantly (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;0.05) according to age. Similarly, there was no significant (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;0.05) difference in the pregnant women PCV level according to trimester. However, the PCV level was higher among the pregnant women in the third trimester (34.82\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.44%; Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFigures \u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e and \u003cspan refid=\"Fig5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e shows the mean differences of packed cell volume (PCV) among pregnant women with malaria infection in the study area according to age and trimester, respectively. There was no significant (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;0.05) difference in their mean PCV level according to the age groups across the studied locations. In relation to trimester, the PCV levels of the women at different pregnancy stages did not vary significantly for Ituku/Ozalla, Obe and Agbani communities (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;0.05). However, in Umueze community, PCV level was significantly (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05) higher among pregnant women at third trimester (38.00\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.58%) than those in first trimester (32.50\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.55%; Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec22\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eCorrelation of malaria parasitaemia and pcv among children and pregnant women\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eTable\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab10\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e10\u003c/span\u003e shows the correlation of demographic, parasitaemia and packed cell volume of children in the study area. It was observed from the correlation study that malaria parasitaemia had an inverse weak correlation (r = \u0026ndash; 0.391, p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01) with packed cell volume of the infected children. Similarly, the age of children recorded a negative weak correlation (r = \u0026ndash; 0.203, p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01) with their PCV levels. The correlation of obstetric, parasitaemia and packed cell volume of pregnant women in the study area is presented on Table \u003cspan refid=\"Tab11\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e11\u003c/span\u003e. It was observed that malaria parasitaemia among pregnant women had a significantly strong and negative correlation (r = \u0026ndash; 0.767, p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01) with their PCV levels.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab10\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 10\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCorrelation of demographic, parasitaemia and packed cell volume of children in the study area\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"5\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCorrelation (\u003cem\u003er\u003c/em\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSex\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eParasitaemia\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePCV\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAge\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSex\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;0.025\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.017\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.092\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eParasitaemia\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;0.391\u003csup\u003e\u003cb\u003e**\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.032\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePCV\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;0.203\u003csup\u003e\u003cb\u003e**\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAge\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003csup\u003e \u003cb\u003e**\u003c/b\u003e \u003c/sup\u003eCorrelation is significant at the 0.01 level (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab11\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 11\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCorrelation of obstetric, parasitaemia and packed cell volume of pregnant women in the study area\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"5\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCorrelation (\u003cem\u003er\u003c/em\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAge\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eParasitaemia\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePCV\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTrimester\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAge\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.037\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;0.021\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.499\u003csup\u003e\u003cb\u003e**\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eParasitaemia\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;0.767\u003csup\u003e\u003cb\u003e**\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.042\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePCV\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;0.147\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTrimester\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003csup\u003e \u003cb\u003e**\u003c/b\u003e \u003c/sup\u003eCorrelation is significant at the 0.01 level (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01).\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"Discussion","content":"\u003cp\u003eA hospital-based survey of malaria related anaemia among children aged 6 to 10 years and pregnant women in Nkanu West Local Government Area was studied. An overall prevalence of 70.3% was reported in this study among children aged 6 to 10 years.This high prevalence of malaria parasites reported in this study among children was close to the report of the 71.1% prevalence obtained by Awosolu et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e) among Children in Some Peri-Urban Communities in Southwestern Nigeria.Thus, this supports the report of the World Health Organization (WHO) and Nigeria Malaria Indicator Survey, which stated that malaria remains a major public health problem worldwide, particularly among children and pregnant women, and this requires integrated control measures coupled with broader efforts to accomplish a universal health coverage (WHO, 2020; NMEP, 2016).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eOn the other hand, a higher malaria prevalence of 80.5% and 78% were reported among children in Ogun, southwestern Nigeria and Al Sabah, South Sudan(Olasehinde et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR48\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2010\u003c/span\u003e; Tongun \u003cem\u003eet al.\u003c/em\u003e, 2020)respectively. Generally, the prevalence of malaria in this study falls within the Nigerian malaria risk map estimate of \u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;20% in certain regions to \u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;70% in others (Onyiri, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR53\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e).The elevated prevalence of malaria among children in the examined area may be attributed to geographical variations, challenging socio-economic conditions, and discrepancies in malaria prevention and control interventions across these regions.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis study recorded an overall malaria prevalence of 65% among pregnant women, with reference to some studies that was done in Nigeria on the prevalence of malaria in pregnancy, higher percentages were reported by studies; In Portharcourt 72% Ejike et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR22\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003e), Benin City 78.9% Oladeinde et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR47\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2012\u003c/span\u003e), and lesser percentages in Kano state 39.2% Gajida et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR28\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2010\u003c/span\u003e) and Ile-Ife 13.1% (Falade \u003cem\u003eet al\u003c/em\u003e., 2010). The majority of the research was carried out in public medical facilities, where women were already receiving antenatal care, undergoing regular screenings, and receiving prophylaxis against malaria during pregnancy.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe prevalence of malaria among children in relation to location shows that Ituku/Ozalla has the highest prevalence of malaria with 99 (74.4%) and Obe 20 (71.4%) shows the highest prevalence of malaria among pregnant women in this study in relation to location. The high rate of prevalence in relation to locations observed in this study could be due to the environmental conditions inherent in Obe and Ituku/Ozalla which favoured higher \u003cem\u003ePlasmodium\u003c/em\u003e transmission in these locations. During the rainy season, the proximity of houses to bushes, refuse dumping sites, drainages, potholes on the roads, and water-retaining local pots, which serve as habitats for \u003cem\u003eplasmodium\u003c/em\u003e vectors, could have influenced malaria transmission. Factors such as temperature, rainfall, and relative humidity (the moisture content in the air) were likely to have played a role in this study. There were no significant (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;0.05) differences in the prevalence of malaria infection among the pregnant women in relation to age. However, the highest malaria infection prevalence was recorded among women within the age of 26\u0026ndash;30 years 27(75.0%) and this was in line with the findings of Amalu et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2012\u003c/span\u003e) who studied comparative analysis of ACON-\u003cem\u003ePlasmodium falciparum\u003c/em\u003e rapid malaria diagnostic test with routine microscopy among school children and pregnant women in a rural community in Enugu state, in Nigeria.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eBased on trimester in Umueze community, PCV level was significantly (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05) higher among pregnant women at third trimester (38.00\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.58%) than those in first trimester and studies conducted by (Kefiyalew et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR37\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2014\u003c/span\u003e; Abriha et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2014\u003c/span\u003e; Getachew et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR29\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2012\u003c/span\u003e and Dattijo et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e) also reported highest prevalence of anaemia in the third trimester. While Olatunbosun et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR49\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2014\u003c/span\u003e) reported highest prevalence of anaemia among women in their second trimester, while most studies recorded highest prevalence at first trimester (Asrie, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e; Onoh et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR52\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e; Araoye, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2004\u003c/span\u003e; Anorlu et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2006\u003c/span\u003e; Hassan et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR32\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2014\u003c/span\u003e; Buhari et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e; Gwarzo and Ugwa, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR31\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003e and Udukwu and Dienye, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR63\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2012\u003c/span\u003e). This phenomenon occurs because it has been observed that in holoendemic regions, the density of parasites and the occurrence of clinical malaria are highest during the initial and early stages of the second trimester of pregnancy. This timeframe aligns with the period when there is a notable decline in both humoral and cell-mediated immunity against malaria.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThere is no significant (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;0.05) mean difference in the children PCV level with respect to their sex, this is in line with the findings of (Enweani et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR23\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e). Malaria leads to a decrease in haemoglobin levels by causing the destruction and elimination of infected red blood cells, shortening the lifespan of uninfected red blood cells, and reducing the production of red blood cells in the bone marrow. Some of the mechanism that cause anaemia during malaria illness such as haemolysis and cytokine disturbance might be associated with acute clinical state whereas chronic or repeated infestations are more likely to involve dyserythropoiesis (CDC, 2020).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe mean values of PCV of the infected pregnant women did not vary significantly (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;0.05) according to age and trimester, this is similar to the findings of (Oluwafemi et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR50\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e). And this is because the virulence of malaria in pregnancy depends on the pregnant woman\u0026rsquo;s ability to resist malaria infection by the action of specific antibodies (Nzeakor et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR46\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003e). Consequently, expectant mothers face an increased risk of contracting malaria and experiencing its associated complications for both themselves and their unborn children. Various complications can arise, such as severe anaemia, a higher risk of spontaneous arbotion, premature delivery, the birth of low-weight infants, and the unfortunate occurrence of neonatal and maternal mortality. It is therefore crucial to understand the trend of malaria infection in pregnancy in endemic areas, the study area being inclusive and to map out effective strategy to curb its transmission (Diorgu et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Conclusion","content":"\u003cp\u003eAccording to the results obtained from the research, it is evident that malaria is still a significant issue concerning the health of both children and pregnant women.The study findings reveal a concerning high prevalence of malaria in the examined area. It emphasizes the importance of ongoing monitoring not only in this region but also in other parts of the country to assess the effectiveness of intervention programs implemented thus far. Additionally, it highlights the need to identify areas where interventions should be strengthened and improved to achieve more effective control of malaria among children and pregnant women nationwide. By doing so, a clearer understanding of the impact of interventions can be gained, leading to better strategies for combating malaria in the country. The community should organize an awareness campaign focusing on the early signs, prompt referral, and timely intervention for malaria-induced anaemia. It is important to notify clinicians about the inclusion of ongoing haematological tests in the baseline assessment of children diagnosed with malaria, allowing them to stay informed and proactive in their approach. Both rural and urban communities need to be educated about the significance of maintaining cleanliness in their environment and surroundings to prevent mosquito bites. It is crucial to ensure that children are adequately illuminated when playing outdoors during the day and while sleeping at night. Pregnant women should receive comprehensive awareness and education during antenatal care regarding the significance of utilizing insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) to prevent malaria and mosquito bites.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAcknowledgements\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe want to appreciate the Chief Medical Director of the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital for allowing us to perform the lab work in his hospital. Additionally, we appreciate the participants who volunteered to participate.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthor contributions\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCPN and POU conceived the study and designed the experiments, while CPN, ESO, CBU, AOO, IDO, and CPE performed all experiments. CPN, ESO, CBU, AOO, IDO, CPE, and POU interpreted the results. CPN wrote the first version of the manuscript; all authors participated in revising the manuscript, and finally approval of the manuscript.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFunding\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNot applicable.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAvailability of data and materials\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAll the data are inserted in the article.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEthics approval and consent to participate\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEthical clearance was collected from the Enugu State Ministry of Health Research Ethics Committee with \u003cem\u003eRef NO\u003c/em\u003e.: MH/MSD/REC21/318. Another ethical clearance was also collected from the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital Health Research Ethics Committee with \u003cem\u003eRef NO\u003c/em\u003e.: NHREC/05/01/2008B-FWA00002458-1RB00002323. \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eInformed consent from participants\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is under ethics approval and consent form patients.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConsent for publication\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNot applicable.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCompeting interests\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe authors declare that there are no competing interests existing among them.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAbriha, A., Yesuf, M. E. and Wassi, M. M. (2014). Prevalence and associated factors of anaemia among pregnant women of Mekelle town: A cross sectional study. BMC Research Notes, 7: 888.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAngyo, J. A., Pam, S. D. and Szlachetka, R. (1996). Clinical pattern and outcome in children with acute severe falciparum malaria at Jos University Teaching Hospital, Nigeria. East African Medical Journal, 72: 823 \u0026ndash; 826.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAnorlu, R. I., Oluwole, A. A. and Abudu, O. O. (2006). Socio-demographic factors in anaemia in pregnancy at booking in Lagos, Nigeria. Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 26: 773 \u0026ndash; 776.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAnumudu, C. I., Okafor, C. M. F., Ngumohaike, V., Afolabi, K. A., Nwuba, R. I. and Nwagwu, M. (2004). Clinical manifestation and immunological response in severe paediatric malaria in Adeoyo hospital, Ibadan. African Journal of Medicine and Medical Sciences, 33: 57 - 63.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAmalu, C. T., Ivoke, N., Ekeh, F. N., Ezenwaji, N. E., Atama, C. I., Okafor, F. C. and Eyo, J. E. (2012). Comparative analysis of ACON- Plasmodium falciparum rapid malaria diagnostic test with routine microscopy among school children and pregnant women in rural community Enugu state, Nigeria. Animal Research International, 9: 1585 \u0026ndash; 1600.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAraoye, M. O. (2004). Sample Size determination in research methodology with statistics for Health and social sciences. Nathadex Publishers, 115 \u0026ndash; 120. DOI:10.12691/ajphr-5-3-2\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAsrie, (2017). Prevalence of anaemia and its associated factors among pregnant women receiving antenatal care at Aymiba Health Center, Northwest Ethiopia. Journal of Blood Medicine, 8: 35 \u0026ndash; 40.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAwosolu, O. B., Yahaya, Z. S., Farah Haziqah, M. T., Simon-Oke, I. A., Olanipekun, I. T. and Onyia, M. O. (2021). Epidemiology of falciparum malaria among residents of some rural and peri-urban communities in Ekiti State, Southwestern Nigeria. Tropical Biomedicine, 38: 14 \u0026ndash; 21.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBashawri, L. A., Mandil, A. A., Bahnassy, A. A. and Ahmed, M. A. (2002). Malaria: haematological aspects. Annals of Saudi Medicine, 22: 372 - 376.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBalarajan, Y., Ramakrishnan, U., Ozaltin, E., Shankar, A. H. and Subramanian, S. V. (2011). Anaemia in low-income and middle-income countries. Lancet Infectious Diseases, 378: 2123 \u0026ndash; 2135.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBeutler, E. and Waalen, J. (2006). The definition of anaemia: what is the lower limit of normal of the blood haemoglobin concentration. Blood, 107: 1747 \u0026ndash; 1750.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBrattig, N. W., Kowalsky, K., Liu, X., Burchard, G. D., Kamena, F. and Seeberger, P. H. (2008). Plasmodium falciparum glycosylphosphatidylinositol toxin interacts with the membrane of non-parasitized red blood cells: a putative mechanism contributing to malaria anaemia. Microbes and Infectious diseases, 10: 885 \u0026ndash; 891.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBuhari, H., Imoru, M. and Erhabor, O. (2016). Anaemia in pregnant women of Sokoto residents in North Western Nigeria. Journal of Blood Disorders and Transfusion, 7: 366.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCenter for Disease Control (1998). Recommendations to prevent and control iron deficiency in the United States. Morbidity Mortality Weekly ReportRecommendations and Reports, 47: 1 \u0026ndash; 29.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCenter for Disease Control (2020). Prevalence and risk factors of anaemia of pregnant women-6 provinces in China. China Center for Disease Control Weekly, 2: 225 \u0026ndash; 229.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCheesbrough, M. and Precott, L. (1987). Manual of basic techniques for a health laboratory. tropical health technology, butterworth-heinemann limited, oxford. Available at: https://issuu.com/starwarsfan/docs/manual_of_basic.techniques_for-a_health_laboratory. Accessed on January 2023.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCheesbrough, M. (2000). District Laboratory. Practice in Tropical Countries,PCV and red cell indicies. Cambridge University press Edinburgh, United Kingdom, Pp. 310 - 313.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDattijo, L. M., Daru, P. H., Umar, N. I. (2016). Anaemia in Pregnancy: Prevalence and associated factors in Azare, North-East Nigeria. International Journal of Tropical Disease and Health, 11: 1 \u0026ndash; 9.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDeMaeyer, E. and Adiels-Tegman, M. (1985). The prevalence of anaemia in the world. World Health Statistics Report, 38: 302 \u0026ndash; 316.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDewey, K. G. \u0026amp; Chaparro, C. M. (2007). Session 4: mineral metabolism and body composition iron status of breast-fed infants. Proceedings of Nutrition Society, 66: 412 \u0026ndash; 442.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDiorgu, F. C., Iwu, R. C. and Iwuanyanwu, P. K. C. (2021). Prevalence of malaria infection across trimesters of pregnancy and number of births in pregnant women in South-South Nigeria. Nursing and Primary Care. 5: 1 - 4.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEjike, B. U., Ohaeri, C. C., Amaechi, E. C., Ejike E. N., Okike-Osisiogu, F. U., Irole-Eze, O. P. and Belonwu, A. C. (2013). Prevalence of falciparum malaria amongst pregnant women in Aba South Local Government Area Abia State, Nigeria. Nigerian Journal of Parasitology. Available at: DOI: 10.4314/njpar.v38i1.9. Accessed on April 24, 2022.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEnweani, I. B., Achukwu, N. O., Ajare, C. A., Ogbonna, U. S. (2020). Prevalence of malaria parasitaemia and anaemia among primary school children in Enugu Suburban, Enugu State, Nigeria. Journal of Medical Laboratory Science, 30: 94 \u0026ndash; 106.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEhrhardt, S., Burchard, G. O., Mantel, C., Cramer, J. P., Kaiser, S. and Kubo, M. (2006). MalariaFalade, C., Mokuolu, O., Okafor, H., Orogade, A., Falade, A., Adedoyin, O., Oguonu, T., Maman, A., Davidson, H. H., Micheal, V. C. (2010). Epidemiology of congenital malaria in nigeria a multi-centre study. Tropical Medicine and International Health, 12: 1279 - 1287.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFederal Ministry of Health (1990). Guidelines for malaria control for physicians in nigeria, Minsitry of Health, Lagos, Nigeria, 1: 1 \u0026ndash; 45.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFederal Ministry of Health (2011). National malaria and vector control division. National guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of malaria. Abuja, Nigeria: Federal Ministry of Health, National malaria and vector control division. Available at: http://www.nmcpnigeria.org. Accessed on February 12th, 2018.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFriedman, J. F., Kwena, A. M., Mirel, L. B., Kariuki, S. K., Terlouw, D. J., Phillips-Howard, P. A., Hawley, W. A., Nahlen, B. L., Shi, Y. P. and ter Kuile, F. O. (2005). Malaria and nutritional status among preschool children: results from cross-sectional surveys in western Kenya. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 73: 698 \u0026ndash;704.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGajida A. U., Ilyasu Z. and Zoakah A. I. (2010). Malaria among antenatal clients attending primary health care facilities in Kano State Nigeria. Annals of African Medicine Journals. 9: 188 \u0026ndash; 213.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGetachew M, Yewhalaw D, Tafess K, Getachew Y, Zeynudin A. (2012). Anaemia and associated risk factors among pregnant women in gilgel gibe Dam area, southwest Ethiopia. Parasites Vectors, 5: 296.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGhosh, K. (2007). Pathogenesis of anaemia in malaria: A concise review. Parasitology Research, 101: 1463 \u0026ndash; 1469.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGwarzo, M. Y. and Ugwa, E. A. (2013). Pattern of anaemia in Northern Nigeria pregnant women. Journal of Medical Sciences, 4: 319 \u0026ndash; 323.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHassan, A.-A., Kene, S., Mamman, A., Musa, B. and Adaji, S. (2014). Anaemia and iron deficiency in pregnant women in Zaria, Nigeria. Sub-Saharan African Journal of Medicine, 1: 36 \u0026ndash; 39.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIdro, R., Aloyo, J., Mayende, L., Bitarakwate, E., John, C. C. and Kivumbi, G. W. (2006). Severe malaria in children in areas with low, moderate and high transmission intensity in Uganda. Tropical Medicine and International Health, 11: 115 \u0026ndash; 124.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eInternational Nutritional Anaemia Consultative Group (2002). Adjusting haemoglobin values in program surveys. INACG/USAID. Available at: https://pdf.usaidgov/pdf_docs/PDAAX458.pdf. Accessed on 10th February, 2023.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eJopling, J., Henry, E. and Wiedmeier, S. E. (2009). Reference ranges for haematocrit and blood haemoglobin concentration during the neonatal period: data from a multihospital health care system. Pediatrics, 123: e333 \u0026ndash; e337.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eKateera, F., Nsobya, S. L., Tukwasibwe, S., Mens, P. F., Hakizimana, E., Grobusch, M. P., Mutesa, L., Kumar, N. and van Vugt, M. (2016). Malaria case clinical profiles and Plasmodium falciparum parasite genetic diversity: a cross sectional survey at two sites of different malaria transmission intensities in Rwanda. Malaria Journal, 15: 237. Available at: DOI: 10.1186/s12936-1287-5. Accessed on July 12, 2022.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eKefiyalew F, Zemene E, Asres Y, Gedefaw L. (2014). Anaemia among pregnant women in Southeast Ethiopia: Prevalence, severity and associated risk factors. BMC Research Notes, 7: 771.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLanghorne, J., Ndungu, F. M., Sponaas, A. M. and Marsh, K. (2008). Immunity to malaria. more questions than answers. Nature Immunology, 9: 725 \u0026ndash; 732.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLucas, A. O. and Gilles, H. M. (1998). A New Short Textbook of Preventive Medicine for the Tropics: Malaria Great Britain ELBS with Edward Arnold. Publishers Pp. 188 \u0026ndash; 192.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLynch, S. (2007). Assessing the iron status of populations: Indicators of iron status of populations: Red blood cell parameters. World Health Organization, 655 \u0026ndash; 666.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMathanga, D. P., Campbell, C. H. J., Vanden, E. J., Wolkon, A., Bronzan, R. N., Malenga, G. J., Ali, D. and Desai, M. (2010). Comparison of anaemia and parasitaemia as indicators of malaria control in household and EPI-health facility surveys in Malawi. Malaria Journal, 9: 1 \u0026ndash; 10.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMfonkeu, J. B., Gouado, I., Kuate, H. F., Zambou, O., Combes, V., Grau, G. E. and Zollo, P. H. (2010). Biochemical markers of nutritional status and childhood malaria severity in Cameroon. British Journal of Nutrition, 104: 886 \u0026ndash; 892.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMiller, E. M. (2014). Iron status and reproduction in US women: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1999\u0026ndash;2006. PLoS One 9: e112216.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNational Malaria Elimination Programme, National Population Commission, National Bureau of Statistics and International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (2016). Nigeria Malaria Indicator Survey 2015. Abuja, Nigeria, and Rockville, Maryland, USA: Federal Ministry of Health. Federal Republic of Nigeria.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNational Population Commission (2022). Demographic status bulletin 2022. Available at: http://www.nigerianstat.gov.ng/pdfuploads/Demographicbulletin2002final.pdf\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNzeakor, S. O., Nduka, F. O., Origie, O. A., (2013). Prevalence of malaria in pregnant women attending antenatal care at University of Port Harcourt primary health care centre, Aluu, Port Harcourt, Rivers State Nigeria. Nigeria International Journals of Scientific Research in Environmental Sciences, 1: 268 - 272.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOladeinde, B. H., Omoregie, R., Odia, I. and Oladeinde, O. B. (2012). Prevalence of malaria and anaemia among pregnant women attending a traditional birth home in Benin City Edo State Nigeria. Oman Medical Journal. 27: 232 - 236.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOlasehinde, G. I., Ajay, A. A., Taiwo, S. O., Adekeye, B. T. and Adeyeba, O. A. (2010). Prevalence and management of falciparium malaria among infants and children in Ota, Ogun State, Southwestern Nigeria. African Journal of Clinical Experimental Microbiology, 11(3). Available at: DOI: 10.4314/ajcem.v11i3.57773. Accessed on October 10, 2023.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOlatunbosun, O. A., Abasiattai, A. M., Bassey, E. A., James, R. S., Ibanga, G. and Morgan, A. (2014). Prevalence of anaemia among pregnant women at booking in the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, Uyo, Nigeria. BioMed Research International. Available at: DOI: 10.1155/2014/849080. Accessed on July 10, 2022.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOluwafemi, F. S., Fasoro, A. A., Akingbade, A. M., Faeji, C. O., Oni, I. O., Agunbiade, T., Agboola, A. A. and Akele, E. J. (2019). Prevalence of anaemia among pregnant women registered at antennal clinic of Ondo Specialist Hospital, Ondo State, Nigeria. Asian Hematology Research Journal, 2: 1 \u0026ndash; 7.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOmodeo-Sale, F., Motti, A., Basilico, N., Parapini, S., Olliaro, P. and Taramelli, D. (2003). Accelerated senescence of human erythrocytes cultured with Plasmodium falciparum. Blood, 102: 705 \u0026ndash; 711.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOnoh, R., Lawani, O., Ezeonu, P., Nkwo, P. T., Onoh, J. P. and Ajah, L. (2015). Predictors of anaemia in pregnancy among pregnant women accessing antenatal care in a poor resource setting in South Eastern Nigeria. Sahel Medical Journal, 18: 182 \u0026ndash; 187.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOnyiri N. (2015). Estimating malaria burden in Nigeria: a geostatistical modelling approach. Geospat Health, 10:306. Available at: DOI: 10.4081/gh.2015.306. Accessed on October 8th, 2023.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOrajaka, B. N. (1996), Prevalence of malaria parasites and antimalaria drugs in use in Awka \u0026amp; Onitsha Anambra State.M.Sc ThesisUniversity Press Ibadan.4: 29 \u0026ndash; 31.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePayne, D. (1988). Use and limitations of light microscopy for diagnosing malaria at the primary health care level. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 66: 621 \u0026ndash; 626.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePapaioannou, I., Utzinger, J. and Vounatsou, P. (2019). Malaria-anaemia comorbidity prevalence as a measure of malaria-related deaths in sub-Saharan Africa. Scientific Report, 9: 11323.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePerkins, D. J., Were, T., Davenport, G. C., Kempaiah, P., Hittner, J. B. and Ongecha, J. M. (2011). Severe malarial anaemia. Innate immunity and pathogenesis. International Journal of Biological Science, 7: 1427 \u0026ndash; 1442.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSchreir, S. L. (2018). Anaemia epidemiology, pathophysiology and etiology in low and middle income countries. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1450: 15 \u0026ndash; 31.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSenn, N., Maraga, S., Sie, A., Rogerson, S. J., Reeder, J. C., Siba, P. and Mueller, I. (2010). Population haemoglobintions mean and anaemia prevalence in Papua New Guinea: new metrics for defining malaria endemicity. PLoS One, 5: e9375.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSnow, R. W., Guerra, C. A., Noor, A. M., Myinth, H. Y. and Hay, S. I. (2005). The global distribution of clinical episodes of Plasmodium falciparum malaria. Nature, 434: 214 \u0026ndash; 217.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTangpukdee, N., Duangdee, C., Wilairatoma, P. and Krudsood, S. (2009). Malaria Diagnosis: A brief Review. Korean Journal of Parasitology, 47: 93 \u0026ndash; 102.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTotino, P. R., Magalhaes, A. D., Silva, L. A., Banic, D. M., DanielRibeiro, C. T. and Ferreira-da-Cruz, M. F. (2010). Apoptosis of non-parasitized red blood cells in malaria: a putative mechanism involved in the pathogenesis of anaemia. Malaria Journal, 9: 350. Available at: DOI: 10.1186/1475-2875-9-350. Accessed on March 13, 2023.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eUdukwu U. and Dienye, P. O. (2012). Prevalence and socio-demographic factors associated with anaemia in pregnancy in a primary health center in River state, Nigeria. African Journal of Primary Health Care and Family Medicine, 4:328.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eUnited Nations (2018). The sustainable development goals report 2018. Available at: http://www.un-library.org/content/books/9789213633175. Accessed on January 15, 2023.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWhite, N. J. (2018). Anaemia and malaria. Malaria Journal, 17:317. Available at: DOI:10.1186/s12936. Accessed on April 13, 2023.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWorld Health Organization (1991). Malaria diagnostic techniques: Manual of basic techniques for a health laboratory, Geneva. Available at: http://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/malaria/rdt-method-manual-product-testing.pdf. Accessed on September 15, 2023.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWorld Health Organization (2000b). The management of nutrition in major emergencies Geneva.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAvailable at: http://www.who.int/publications-details-redirect/9241545208. Accessed on February 26, 2023.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWorld Health Organization (2003b). Pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum and newborn care: a guide for essential practice Geneva: World Health Organization. Available at: https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/101665/249580. Accessed on February 24, 2023.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWorld Health Organization (2005). Handbook: IMCI integrated management of childhood illness Geneva. Availabe at: http://apps.who.int/iris/handle/. Accessed on February 24, 2023.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWorld Health Organization (2010). Guidelines for the treatment of malaria, Geneva, Switzerland. Available at: http://www.who.int/publications-details-redirect/guidelines- for-malaria. Accessed on September 28, 2023.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWorld Health Organization (2011a). Haemoglobin concentrations for the diagnosis of anaemia and assessment of severity. Available at: http://www.who.int/vmnis/indicators/ haemoglobin.pdf. Accessed on August 4, 2017.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWorld Health Organization (2011d). Guideline: intermittent iron supplementation in preschool and school-age children. Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK179850/ Accessed on April 29, 2017.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWorld Health Organization (2020). World malaria report 2020: 20 Years of Global Progress and Challenges. Geneva. Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/malaria. Accessed on Accessed on October 8th, 2023.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Children, Pregnant women, Malaria, Anaemia","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6249369/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6249369/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003ch2\u003eBackground\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eMalaria remains a significant public health concern, disproportionately impacting vulnerable populations in resource-limited settings. A study conducted in Nkanu West Local Government Area between March and June 2023 investigated malaria prevalence and associated anaemia in children (6\u0026ndash;10 years) and pregnant women attending a local hospital.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eMethods\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe methodological approach, utilizing both microscopy and RDTs, provided a robust assessment of malaria prevalence. Microscopic analysis confirmed parasite presence, while RDTs offered a rapid and complementary diagnostic tool. This dual approach enhanced the accuracy and reliability of the study\u0026rsquo;s findings.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eResult\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eEmploying both microscopic examinations of stained blood films and rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs), the study revealed alarmingly high malaria prevalence rates of 70.3% and 65.5% in children and pregnant women, respectively. Results indicated significant variations in infection rates. Female children exhibited higher prevalence compared to males, and 7-year-olds showed the highest infection rates among children. Pregnant women in their first trimester and those aged 26\u0026ndash;30 years also displayed elevated infection rates. Furthermore, a correlation was observed between malaria infection and reduced pack cell volume, particularly in 8-year-old children and women in their third trimester, highlighting the detrimental impact on hematological health. These findings underscore the urgent need for targeted interventions, including sex-specific strategies, age-appropriate preventative measures, and geographically tailored approaches to address the persistent and substantial public health challenge posed by malaria in this specific demographic. Sustained and precisely targeted strategies for effective prevention and treatment are crucial to mitigate the enduring burden of malaria.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eConclusion\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eResearch confirms malaria's persistent threat to children and pregnant women, demanding continuous monitoring and intervention enhancement nationwide. Focus should include community awareness campaigns emphasizing early detection and intervention, routine hematological testing, environmental sanitation, and insecticide-treated net usage, particularly during antenatal care.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Hospital-Based Survey of Malaria and Anaemia among Children 6–10 Years and Pregnant Women in Nkanu West Local Government Area, Enugu State, Nigeria","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-03-25 09:44:56","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6249369/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"55d54624-cc78-4cc3-8021-87b6af28b276","owner":[],"postedDate":"March 25th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-08-27T09:24:37+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-03-25 09:44:56","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-6249369","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-6249369","identity":"rs-6249369","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}