Do Environmental Sanitation Conditions affect Malaria Infection Rates in Children

Abstract

This research was done using multiple methods case study to determine if environmental sanitation conditions affect malaria infection rates in children of two communities; one urban area and one rural area.

Fasari settlement in Kuje Area Council was the rural case study while Wuse zone 6-, Abuja was the urban case study.

The specific aim of this research was to investigate the incidence of malaria in children under 5- in relation to environmental sanitation conditions in the two communities.

Fasari and Wuse Zone 6- was used because of the different environmental conditions.

The research was done within the months of February and April 2015, also the study made use of all available records at the Federal Staff Hospital, Abuja.

Information was obtained from design questionnaire, a total of 50 cases notes were studied and analysed.

My research didn’t specifically show that environmental sanitation is responsible for different malaria rates in the two study areas.

This was because the respondents in Wuse Zone 6 were using prophylaxis for their children and the respondents in Fasari rural settlement had no records of malaria incidence of their children.

Table Of Contents

Title page………….i

Certification……………. ii

Readers’ approval…………………….iii

Dedication…………………….iv

Acknowledgement………………….. v

Abstract…………….vi-vii

Table of contents……………..viii-ix

List of figures……………….x

Introduction…………………. 1

Background…………………..1

Research Rationale (Importance of the Study)…………..2

Environmental Sanitation……………3

Water-Related Diseases………………..5

Malaria………………..8

Malaria Impact on Children’s Health……………….10

Statement of problem………………..12

Specific aim…………………12

Objectives…………………….12

Null Hypothesis (H₀)…………………….13

Research Hypothesis (H₁)……………..13

Study Area…………………………13

Methodology…………………..13

Study Sites………………13

Rural Area……………….13

Urban Area………………….15

Research Design……………….16

Comparative Case Study…………………16

Prospective Case Study………………16

Cross Sectional Case Study………………16

Data Analysis………………..17

Research Challenges…….. 17

Result……………… 18

Result from Comparative Study…………..18

Result from prospective Study………………26

Result From Cross-Sectional Study………………28

Discussion……………….31

The poor environmental sanitation of Fasari community………..31

From the comparative case study…………..31

From the prospective and cross-sectional case studies………….33

Conclusion…………………..34

Recommendations…………….35

References……………. 37

Appendix…………………..40

Introduction

Background Of Study

Living in a clean environment, access to sanitation facilities and good health is every child’s right. However, many children in developing countries such as Nigeria lack safe and clean environment sanitation and good health (IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre, 2001).

School-going children also lack environment sanitation facilities, leading to possible health effects. Lack of proper maintenance and preservation of the environment causes potential danger to the health of children at home and in schools.

Provision of sanitation facilities does not make healthy physical learning environment sustainable, but utilization of such facilities and related hygiene behaviors that lead to accrued health benefits. In schools, hygiene education aims to boost sustainable environment sanitation practices that will help in preventing water and environmental sanitation-related diseases.

In practice, the sanitary situation in many schools and many homes in Nigeria is unacceptable. Water supply and sanitation practices are inadequate to many school-going children in schools and at home.

Children use non-functional toilets and latrines that lack water for flushing whereas some are open with freely flowing sewage.

These conditions make schools and homes unsafe places for children where waterborne infectious diseases such as diarrhea and cholera and water-related vector-borne diseases such as malaria are rampant (WHO, 1997).

References

Alaba, A. Olufunke (2005). Malaria and Rural Household Productivity in Oyo State. A Phd thesis submitted in the Department of Economics: University of Ibadan.

Federal Ministry of Health. (2008). Federal Republic of Nigeria: Training Manual for management of malaria in Nigeria. Abuja: Federal Ministry of Health. NationalMalaria and Vector Control Division, 6.

Goodman, C. Brieger, W., Unwin, A., Mills, A., Meek, S. & Greer, G. (2007).Medicine sellers and malaria treatment in Sub-Saharan Africa: What do they do and how can their practice be improved? American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. 77: 203-218.

IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre (2001). The Value of Environmental Sanitation-Case Studies. Netherlands: IRC.

Miller Jr. G., T. (2000). Living in the Environment, Principles, Connections and Solutions. (11 ed.). Brooks: Cole Publishing Company.

Mukabana, W., Kannady, k., Kiama, G., Ijumba, J., Mathenge, E., Kiche, I., et al. (2006). Ecologists can enable communities to implement malaria vector control in Africa. Maar, J. 5:9.