A SURVEY OF MALARIA VECTORS AND PARASITES

The study aimed to investigate the presence of mosquito vectors responsible for malaria transmission, identify the common Plasmodium species, and examine certain blood parameters linked to malaria in residents of Aguowa community, located in Enugu East Local Government Area of Enugu State, South-Eastern Nigeria. Adult mosquitoes were collected indoors using the Pyrethrum Knockdown Collection (PKC) method, while larvae were gathered from local breeding sites.
Blood samples were obtained from participants through thumb pricks using lancets, to detect malaria parasites, measure haemoglobin levels, and determine Packed Cell Volume (PCV). A total of 273 pupils from the community’s only primary school (out of 945 students) participated in the study. Larval identification revealed three mosquito species: Aedes aegypti (9.3%), Aedes albopictus (13.2%), and Culex quinquefasciatus (77.5%). Indoor adult mosquitoes included Anopheles gambiae (1.1%), Aedes aegypti (4.6%), and Culex quinquefasciatus (94.5%). Among malaria parasites detected, Plasmodium falciparum was most common (50.6%), followed by P. ovale (41.2%) and P. malariae (1.5%).
The overall malaria infection rate in the community was 87.2%, with a higher prevalence in males (93.7%) than females (82.7%). Age-based prevalence was recorded as follows: 4–6 years (88.7%), 7–9 years (93.3%), 10–12 years (89.6%), and 13–16 years (60.0%). Average haemoglobin concentration was 10.2 g/dl and average PCV was 31.0%, both below normal reference values. These findings suggest that malaria poses a significant public health concern in Aguowa, highlighting the urgent need to enhance vector control strategies and efforts to manage the disease within the community. .