Abstract

PREVALENCE OF MALARIA IN TEHSIL (AHMAD PUR EAST) OF DISTRICT BAHAWALPUR, PUNJAB, PAKISTAN

*Nuzhat Sial, Khalid Javed Iqbal, Sobia Malik, Khusnood Haider, Saima Hashim, Hafsa Iqbal

ABSTRACT

This study was conducted to investigate the incidence of malarial infections in human population in Tehsil (Ahmad Pur East) of district Bahawalpur, Punjab, Pakistan. Malarial parasites were identified in the blood slides of suspected patients of the disease from July, 2012 to June, 2013. Out of 1295, 23 (1.78%) in Ahmad Pur East were found to be positive for malaria parasite in blood smear slides. Out of positive cases, 13(56.52%) were identified as Plasmodium vivax infection, 10 (43.48%) cases with P. falciparum in Ahmad Pur East. Infection with P. vivax in male was 66.66% and in female was 45.45% whereas infection of P. falciparum in male was 33.33% and in female was 54.55% in Ahmad Pur East. There was no case of Plasmodium malariae and P. ovale infection observed in the present study. It seems that there is no association between types of infection and age groups. Therefore, it can be concluded that the incidence of any type of infection can happen to person of any age group independently.

Keywords: Prevalence, human malarial infections, Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium falciparum, Ahmad Pur East.