FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH RESIDUAL MALARIA TRANSMISSION IN GOKWE SOUTH DISTRICT, MIDLANDS PROVINCE, ZIMBABWE, 2023
The incidence of malaria in Gokwe district remains high despite numerous interventions such as the indoor residual spraying (IRS) and health education. This has resulted in numerous mortalities and morbidities among the residents of Gokwe District. A cross sectional study was carried out in Gokwe District to determine the factors associated with residual malaria transmission in Gokwe District. Mosquito samples were collected overnight to determine the biting times. A questionnaire was used to collect data on the sleeping patterns of the residents of Gokwe South district. Two wards (11 and 12) were involved in the study and a total of 84 participants. Analysis was carried out using Epi info version 7. Data was analysed for descriptive statistic for means and proportions. Odds ratios were calculated to determine the association of the variable with risk of contracting malaria. Logistic regression was used to determine the independent factors associated with contracting malaria in Gokwe South District. Most of the participants were female 47(56 .0%) and males were 37(44 .0%), Level of education and 38(45 .2%) had attained secondary education. Most, 45 (53 .6%) of the participants were involved in farming. All the mosquitoes identified were the Anopheles gambiae sensu lato (s.l). Of all the participants, 41.7 indicated that the mosquitoes that bite them also bites cattle, while, 27.4 said they prefer to bite humans and 27.4 said they prefer to bite poultry, while only 3.6 % said they prefer to bite goats. The peak collection time outdoors for the An. gambiae sensu lato species was at 8-9 pm as well as at 4-5 am. The peak biting times as indicated by the participants was night time. The major drivers of residual malaria in Gokwe District were established as: resting/relaxing outdoors at night (aOR: 11.5; CI: 3.3-40.2), at times sleeping outdoors (aOR: 5.4; CI: 1.7-17.7) and bathing outdoors before sleep (aOR: 5.1; CI: 1.1-22.7). It is concluded that the major drivers of residual malaria in Gokwe South District were resting/relaxing outdoors at night, sleeping outdoors and bathing outdoors before sleep. It is recommended that residents of Gokwe district should not relax or sleep out doors at night or should wear mosquito repellent.
Keywords: Gokwe South, Malaria, Residual, Transmission, Mosquito
