ABSTRACT
The impacts of fluctuations in weather and climate on malaria prevalence under a future climate change have been an issue of major interest because the disease is a public health problem. Thus, this study investigates the impacts of rainfall on the regional variations of malaria in Ekiti State, Nigeria using 2001-2011 data. The data are for the Central, Eastern, Northern, Western and Southern parts of Ekiti State which are represented by Ado, Ekiti East, Oye, Ekiti South West and Ijero LGAs respectively based on the available data. The results indicate that the total infections over the study period in Ado, Ekiti East, Oye, Ekiti South West and Ijero LGAs are 207033, 67890, 80827, 55986 and 87521 cases respectively. The malaria disease is most rampant among the youths in all the LGAs while the observed cases within the female populations are also slightly higher than the mean infections in the male group. Similarly, an increase in rainfall intensity will lead to corresponding rise in the malaria cases while the spread of the disease seems to also depend on population distribution with the highest seen in the highly populated Ado LGA and among the youths that has the most population in the age groups. However, the disease could be reduced through improved personal hygiene, good drainage system, sleeping under insecticide treated mosquito nets, spraying of insecticides and access to good and affordable medical services. These findings might be used in establishing good immunization system for the vulnerable children and other age groups so as to curb the spread of the disease.
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