Prevalence and factors associated with malaria in suspected cases in the five health districts of Niamey, Niger, 2019

Abstract

Introduction: Malaria is a major public health problem in the world and also in Niger. In 2018, World Health Organization ranked Niger among the six countries recording 54% of global malaria cases. The objective of our study was to determine the factors associated with malaria in suspected cases in the five health districts of Niamey from November to December 2019.
Methods: We conducted an analytical cross-sectional study from November 1st to December 31th, 2019. The target population was all malaria suspects consulting in the health facilities in Niamey. The odd ratio (OR) of association with malaria were estimated in a logistic regression. Analyses were performed using Epi-info version 7 and Stata 13.1. software.
Results: 845 suspected cases of malaria were enrolled, 287 thick drops were positive, for an overall prevalence of 34%. In multivariate analysis, factors independently associated with malaria in the five districts of Niamey were: non-instruction [OR=4.56; 95% CI= (1.70-12.20); p<0.004]; number of seasonal malaria chemoprevention <3 doses [OR=21.47; 95% CI= (10.11-45.61); p<0.004]; non-use of insecticides [OR=3.82; 95% CI= (1.56-9.35); p≤ 0.001]; long-acting insecticide-treated nets use after 9pm [OR=24.05; 95% CI= (11.26-51.34) P≤0.001].
Conclusion: Malaria is linked to factors that are all modifiable. These results will contribute to improving malaria control in Niger in general and in Niamey in particular by targeting these factors.