ISSN 2736-173X
African Journal of Malaria and Tropical Diseases ISSN 4123-0981 Vol. 6 (6), pp. 410-416, June, 2018. © International Scholars Journals
Full Length Research Paper
A study of the socio-economic factors contributing to malaria risk in Koton Karfe watershed catchment, Nigeria
Ifatimehin, O. O.1, Laah, J. G.2 and Toluhi, O. O.3
1Department of Geography and Planning, Kogi State University, Anyigba, Nigeria.
2Department of Geography, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria.
3Department of Biological Sciences, Kogi State University, Anyigba, Nigeria.
*Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected]. Tel.: 08070802835.
Accepted 07 September, 2017
Abstract
This study adopts ground survey and questionnaire administration to determine environmental and socio-economic factors contributing to malaria risk in Koton Karfe watershed catchment. A health facilty-based survey is carried out to assess tbe ratio of population to health facility. The study reveals that poverty is the overriding risk factor determining the high malaria incidence rate which ranges from 40/1000 per annum to 288/1000 per annum across watershed catchment and prevelant among infants and school age children. The nearest neighbour index of 1.48 suggests the randomness in the spatial distribution of health facilities. The increase in the burden of malaria on the populace may deter the attainment of the millennium development goals (MDGs) if urgent measures to control it by the govern-ment and private/donor agencies are not initiated.
Key word: Malaria, incidence rates, burden, watershed ecology, catchment.