Community Directed Screening to Identify Asymptomatic Malaria Reservoir of Plasmodium Falciparum in Nasarawa State, Nigeria

Asymptomatic malaria is prevalent in highly endemic areas of Africa, with only a small percentage of individuals exhibiting clinical symptoms. The clinical consequence of asymptomatic malaria is not fully understood. Some researchers believe that asymptomatic parasitaemia is involved in developing partial immunity and may protect against clinical disease from new infections. This study therefore determined the prevalence of asymptomatic reservoir of plasmodium falciparum and the level of knowledge of malaria among the populace in Nasarawa state. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among selected local government areas of the state. The local government areas were observed to have reported the highest positivity rate of malaria between 2017 to 2022. The study was conducted from August 2022 to April 2023. A semi-structured questionnaire was employed to collect socio-demographic data and other associated risk factors by trained health professionals. Body temperature and different clinical manifestations were examined to identify the asymptomatic individuals. This examination was carried out after the selection of individuals from households before mRDT was conducted. Data entry and analysis were carried out using (SPSS, 20). The study indicates that the prevalence of asymptomatic malaria parasitaemia among adults in Nasarawa state is 23.8%. It is evidenced that malaria is endemic in Nasarawa state. This study, therefore, recommends continuous awareness of malaria, control measures, and environmental sanitation to control further transmission of malaria in the state.