The prevalence of asymptomatic malaria parasitemia and associated factors among adults in Dembia district, northwest Ethiopia, 2017

BACKGROUND: Malaria is still a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in many developing countries including Ethiopia. Its prevalence has been declining among Ethiopian adults, especially in Dembia district. However, it is still at the top of diseases list at the district. Hence, the study aimed to determine the prevalence and the factors that contribute to its being the major public health concern despite different preventive and control measures in place. METHODS: A community based cross-sectional study was conducted from October 11 to November 16, 2017. The multistage sampling technique was employed to select 832 study participants. A rapid diagnostic test were used to confirm the disease. Data were entered using Epi info version 7 and was analyzed by Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 20. The logistic regression model was performed to examine the association of factors with malaria parasite. RESULTS: Out of the 832 adults included in the study, 6.7% (95% Confidence Interval (CI: 5.2–8.7)) were confirmed to be malaria parasite carriers. The dominant plasmodium species was Plasmodium falciparum [46 (82%)]. According to the multivariable logistic regression analysis, male sex (Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR = 4.5; 95%CI: 2.1–9.5), adult age 15–19 years (AOR = 4.5; 95%CI: 2.1–9.7), travel history (AOR = 5; 95%CI: 2.34–12.25), and stagnant water around home (AOR = 3.7; 95%CI: 1.57–8.87) increased the probability of malaria infectivity, while Insecticidal Treated Nets (ITN) utilization (AOR = 0.2; 95%CI: 0.09–0.31) decreased it. CONCLUSION: Malaria is still an important public health challenge among adults in the study area. Male sex, age 15–19 years, travel history, living around stagnant water, and not using ITN increased the probability of infection. Therefore, the District Health office and Health extension workers should work to increase ITN distribution and focus on reducing malaria breading sites through community participation.