Prevalence and Risk Factors associated with Malaria infection in Children under five years in Northern Uganda.

Background: Malaria still remains the leading cause of morbidity and mortality among children in sub-Saharan Africa with over 95% of children in Uganda particularly still suffering from it. About US$9 is annually lost in malaria treatment which is estimated at 3% of the family annual income. Malaria remains a prominent public health burden despite several attempts in recent years to control its spread. This study ascertained the prevalence and associated risk factors of malaria infection in children below 5 years old. Methods: A cross-sectional study was done in two randomly selected villages in Otangocinge parish, Arwotcek sub county on children under five years screened for malaria from Arwotcek Health Centre II from December 2019 to October 2020 to ascertain the risk factors associated with malaria infection and their mothers or caretakers were interviewed to ascertain the risk factors of malaria infection in Amolatar District. Prevalence of malaria in children under five years old was calculated as a proportion of the malaria positive cases versus negative cases at 95% CI (confidence interval). Bivariate analyses were conducted by determining the associations between prevalence of malaria and its associated risk factors using Chi-square ( χ ² ) test followed by binary logistic regression taking into consideration p -values < 0.05 as significant factors using the SPSS software version 20. Results: Of the 121 children screened for malaria, 57 (47.1%) tested positive for malaria while 64(52.9%) children tested negative using the Rapid Diagnostic Tests (RDTs). Income status of the family (p<0.001), proximity of homesteads to water sources (p<0.001), insecticide treated mosquito nets usage and its physical conditions (p<0.001) and age of the child (p= 0.002) and the location of the homestead (p= 0.042) are the potential risk factors associated with malaria transmission. Conclusion: Although many efforts have been done to calm the burden of malaria, the government should empower the village health teams(VHTs) in providing basic malaria diagnosis and community sensitization about the risk factors of malaria, regular distribution of mosquito nets and timely indoor residual spraying.