Predisposing Factors for Malaria Among Mutare City Residents in April 2023

Abstract

This study investigates on the pre-disposing factors for malaria among Mutare City residents in a quest to making Mutare City a malaria-free zone again. While the burden of malaria has been declining in many rural areas across Sub-Saharan Africa, urban regions that were previously considered 'malaria-free' have been experiencing a concerning upsurge in the number of malaria cases Mutare city in Zimbabwe, being one of them. Hence, this research aims to understand what are the factors responsible for the increased number of malaria cases in Mutare city in the hope that bridging this knowledge gap will be of importance to not only the Zimbabwean government. A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted to collect the relevant data from the AUZENTO malaria laboratories. Secondary data was used with the researcher clustering the population. The total sample size used was 96. Both online statistical tools and offline analysis were used in data analysis. Out of the 96 participants, 14 positive cases were reported, 78 negative cases, seven labelled as “missing results” and one labelled as “not done”. More females were positive for malaria compared to men while students were the occupation with the biggest representation. A majority of the participants were adults, 18 and above with a total of 67 including an elderly who was 81 years old while under 18 totalled up to 29. While the numbers of positive cases are still on the low side and with no mortalities reported, it is paramount that effective preventative measures are put in place to prevent the numbers from increasing. It is indeed true that Mutare City is no longer a malaria-free zone. Integration of an online database to help in storing of information regarding the status of malaria as seasons change within Mutare city would be very essential in informing the relevant authorities so that evidence-based interventions can be employed.