Spatial Distribution of Malaria and its Vectors in Selected Districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Abstract

Pakistan is considered as a moderate malaria-endemic country but still, 177 million individuals are at risk of malaria which make up roughly 60% of Pakistan’s population. The current study has been conducted in the recently merged districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province of Pakistan, including, districts of Khyber, Orakzai, subdivision Peshawar, subdivision Kohat, and subdivision Lakki Marwat. This research work was carried out from October 2017-December 2020 to find out the spatial distribution of malaria, to identify possible hotspots for the disease and its vector mosquitoes in the selected regions based on available data. Spatial distribution was determined using ArcMap 10.8 by making maps. The Malaria prevalence data was analyzed which revealed that Plasmodium vivax cases were more common than Plasmodium falciparum. A total of 5089970 samples were observed during these years, 62148 came out positive, 53930 cases turned out to be P. vivax, 6474 P. falciparum, and 1684 were mixed cases. Although cases of malaria were reported throughout the year, infection rates were found to be highest during the months of July-October. From the data obtained, only the data for selected districts were retrieved. Out of the total, 52% were males and 48% were females. The current study indicates that malaria prevalence is regulated by intricate collaborations among the hosts and vectors and has a direct relationship with the prevailing conditions of the environment and climate. The findings of this study also imply that if Anopheles vector is not controlled it efficiently might result in repeated incidence in areas that are not endemic.