Contact: +91-9711224068
Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies
  • Printed Journal
  • Indexed Journal
  • Refereed Journal
  • Peer Reviewed Journal

P-ISSN: 2349-6800, E-ISSN: 2320-7078

Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies

2016, Vol. 4, Issue 4
Prevalence and distribution of malaria parasites in general population of district Dir Lower, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Hussain Shah, Razimand Khan, Farhat Naz, Abdul Haseeb, Arif Jan and Rooh Ullah

Malaria, the disease caused by protozoan parasite Plasmodium is moderately endemic in Pakistan. This study was conducted from October 2013 to September 2014 with aim to determine the prevalence and distribution of malarial parasites in general population of District Dir Lower, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The data were collected from government hospitals and private laboratories of the district and analysed through SPSS software. Chi-square test was employed to find association of malaria with tested variables and P-value below 0.05 was considered significant. A total of 821 patients suspected for malaria were enrolled in this study among which 324 (39.5%) were found positive for malaria parasites through microscopy. The species of Plasmodium detected were Plasmodium vivax (30.1%) and Plasmodium falciparum (9.4%). Mixed infection with both species was not detected. Prevalence of P. vivax in males was 24.5% and in females was 15.0% while that of P. falciparum was 6.3% and 3.0% respectively. Prevalence of both species was highest (8.3% P. vivax and 2.7% P. falciparum) in subjects aged 21-30 years. P. vivax was most prevalent in the month of October while P. falciparum was in March. Prevalence of P. vivax ranged from 2.8% in Tehsil Munda to 6.9% in Tehsil Timergara while that of P. falciparum varied from 0.5% in Tehsil Samarbagh to 2.3% in Timergara. Association of malaria was significant only with age of the host and not with any other tested variable. In conclusion, male population was more infected and P. vivax was the predominant species of Plasmodium in study area.
Pages : 1211-1215 | 2272 Views | 163 Downloads


Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies
How to cite this article:
Hussain Shah, Razimand Khan, Farhat Naz, Abdul Haseeb, Arif Jan, Rooh Ullah. Prevalence and distribution of malaria parasites in general population of district Dir Lower, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. J Entomol Zool Stud 2016;4(4):1211-1215.

Call for book chapter
Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies
Please use another browser.