Prevalence of Malaria among underfives in Chiengi and Puta Districts of Luapula Province, Zambia.

Background Malaria is the predominant driver of morbidity and mortality in Zambia, particularly among children under the age of 5. This disease ranks first in both outpatient and inpatient records, highlighting its prevalent impact on public health. Malaria has such an adverse socioeconomic impact that it significantly exacerbates poverty and underdevelopment. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the prevalence of malaria and related factors in children under five years of age in the Chiengi and Puta Districts. Methods A descriptive cross-sectional survey was carried out in the Chiengi and Puta districts, which are malaria endemic areas. Using a pretested structured questionnaire, every head of a randomly selected household male or female present from July 1, 2022 – July 30, 2022 was interviewed about ownership of an insecticide-treated mosquito net (ITN), actual usage, coverage of indoor residual spraying, sociodemographic factors, and the presence of malaria parasites in the underfive population, which was determined using a malaria rapid diagnostic test (mRDT). Results A total of 318 participants were recruited from the Puta Rural Health Centre and Chiengi District Hospital. The children’s overall mean standard deviation (SD) age was 2.35 (1.53) years, 50.3% were female (160/318), and 49.7% were male (158/318). The prevalence of malaria was 59.1% (188/318), with the Puta Rural Health Centre accounting for 61.3% and the Chiengi District Hospital accounting for 48.1%. Among the 56% of households that recorded possession and usage of the ITN, the prevalence of malaria was 4.3%. Conclusions The use of insecticide-treated nets was found to be the most dominant risk factor for malaria infection. Enhancing accessibility to comprehensive malaria interventions is essential for disrupting transmission at the community level, particularly when targeting at-risk age groups. Thus, it is crucial to raise awareness within the community regarding the proper utilization of insecticide-treated bed nets (ITNs).