Research consultancy

ANALYSIS OF MALARIA PREVALENCE IN CHILDREN AGED BELOW 15 YEARS IN UGANDA

LIST OF ACRONYMES

WHO world health organization

WMR world malaria report

MOH ministry of health.

EIR entomological inoculation rates

PMI, President’s Malaria Initiative

HMIS Health Management Information System

UMIS Uganda Malaria Indicator Survey

UBOS Uganda Bureau of Statistics

ARIMA Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average

GDP growth domestic product.

CHAPTER ONE:

1.0 Introduction

This chapter shall deal with the background of the study, statement of the problem, the objectives of the study, research questions, study scope of the study and significance of the study.

1.1 Background

Malaria is a name derived from the Italian word, “mal aria,” or bad air. The French scientist discovered the real cause of malaria as the single-celled Plasmodium parasite Alphonse Laveran (1880). The parasites are spread to people through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes, called “malaria vectors.” There are 5 parasite species that cause malaria in humans, and 2 of these species pose the greatest threat. The parasites live part of its life in humans and part in mosquitoes. Malaria remains one of the major killers of humans worldwide, threatening the lives of more than one-third of the world’s population. It thrives in the tropical areas of Asia, Africa, and Central and South America, where it strikes millions of people. Each year 350 to 500 million cases of malaria occur worldwide. Sadly, more than 1 million of its victims, mostly young children, die yearly.

According to WHO, (2015) estimates, on the other hand released in December 2015, there were 214 million cases of malaria in 2015 and 438 000 deaths. But Between 2000 and 2015, malaria incidence among populations at risk fell by 37% globally; during the same period, malaria mortality rates among populations at risk decreased by 60%. An estimated 6.2 million malaria deaths have been averted globally since 2001.

Globally 3.2 billion people remain at risk of malaria and nearly one million malaria deaths occur each year, mostly in children under five years of age in sub-Saharan Africa (WMR,2008). The greatest burden of malaria, by far, remains in the heartland of Africa, characterized by large contiguous areas of high transmission, low coverage of control interventions, and limited infrastructure to monitor disease trends. Besides neonatal-related causes, malaria is the second leading cause of morbidity and mortality in Africa, and accounts for 21-26% of all under-five mortality in Uganda. Many of these deaths occur at home due to poor access to health care, inappropriate or delayed care seeking and inadequate quality of health services hence need to take analysis the levels of malaria prevalence in the home with children below 15 years

1.2 Statement of the problem.

The government of Uganda in conjunction with other non-government organizations have put a lot of effort to curb the malaria infection in children, adults and pregnant women in Uganda, but malaria still claims a lot of morbidity with 40 percent comparison to other diseases. The prevalence of these polymorphisms has consistently measured well above 50% across Uganda (Francis et al., 2006). There were an estimated 438000 deaths, 90% from Africa, 7% from South Eastern Asia region and 2% from Eastern Mediterranean region. Of these, 306000 deaths have occurred in children aged under 5 years.(WMR 2015) In comparison, 198 million infections and 584 000 deaths were estimated in 2013.(WMR 2014) More than 30000 cases of malaria are reported annually among travelers from developed world visiting malarious areas.(Leder et al., 2010).

With that there is need to take analysis of the extent of this malaria prevalence to date since the perennially prevalent malaria, therefore, remains an ever existing danger for humanity, in every part of the globe.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

1.3.1 General Objective:

The general objective of the study is to analyses the prevalence of malaria in children aged below 15 years in Uganda.

1.3.2 Specific Objectives of the Study

To determine the distribution of malaria among the children below 15 years.
To compare malaria prevalence by residence and region.

To forecast malaria prevalence for children aged below 15 years in Uganda

1.4 Research hypotheses.

Ho₁: There is no trend for malaria prevalence among the children.
Ho₂: There is no seasonality for malaria prevalence among the children

iii Ho₃: Rural has the same malaria prevalence as urban.

IV Ho₄: There is no difference in malaria prevalence by region.

1.5 Scope of the Study:

1.5.1 Subject scope

This research intends to analyses the prevalence of malaria in the children aged below 15 years in Uganda and my data source will be ministry of health Uganda.

1.6 Significance of the Study

The study will help the government and the health officers to come up with reasonable policies to overcome the high rates of malaria prevalence in Uganda among children below 15 years.
in the field of academics, the study will be helpful to the future researchers with enough data and a literature review for them to review their weak areas in their research.

The study will act as a source for further research regarding the analysis of malaria prevalence in children aged below 15 years.

In regard to Uganda, the research is hoped to be generally of great benefit to people’s welfare. The research study is hoped to bring the public to the knowledge of how dangerous malaria is to society especially in children aged below 15 years.
The study is hoped to avail valuable information for consideration in making of important policies for example through sensitization of the public and government partnering with

responsible organizations to reduce the malaria burden it may also beneficial to the researcher as it will equip him with skills into further research .