Flood Impact on Malaria Prevalence in district Nowshera, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Pakistan

Abstract

Malaria is an important vector-borne disease transmitted through the bite of infected Anopheles mosquitoes. It is a climate-sensitive disease, and its transmission is strongly influenced by climatic factors, particularly flooding, in malaria-endemic regions. The present study aimed to determine the prevalence of malaria before and after flooding in the general population of District Nowshera, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. A total of 10,381 suspected malaria cases were recorded from July to October 2022 from 14 healthcare centers across District Nowshera. Malaria was diagnosed using microscopy and rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs). Of the total suspected cases, 980 (9.44%) were confirmed positive for malaria. The prevalence of malaria was 8.72% before the flood and increased to 9.94% after the flood. Plasmodium vivax was the predominant species during both the pre-flood and post-flood periods, followed by Plasmodium falciparum, while mixed infections (P. vivax and P. falciparum) were recorded at the lowest frequency. Before the flood, malaria incidence was slightly higher among females, whereas after the flood, males showed a higher prevalence than females. Age-wise analysis revealed that the highest number of malaria cases occurred in individuals aged >15 years, followed by those aged 5–14 years, while the lowest prevalence was observed among children aged 0–4 years.