SPATIO-TEMPORAL ASSESSMENT OF MALARIA PREVALENCE IN ANAMBRA STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The research examined the efficacy of Remote Sensing and GIS techniques in analyzing malaria prevalence rate, its relationship between environmental factors and also the determination of the most vulnerable areas to malaria attacks in Awka Capital Territory, Anambra State. This was achieved by the use of malaria incidence records for the study period and environmental factors data (elevation, rainfall, temperature and vegetation NDVI) of the study area. The records were used to determine the incidence rate of the disease from 2005 – 2015; the rate of severity and unseverity of the disease and the trend of the disease occurrence during the study period. Correlation and regression analysis were used to determine the level of relationship between the disease prevalence and the environmental factors. Malaria risk map which was produced through the integration of malaria hazard map, vulnerability map and elements at risk map was used to determine the most susceptible areas to malaria attacks in the study area. The study reveals that there is high rate of malaria attack in the study area, although, it was not concentrated in one area during the study period and that the level of severity of the disease is relatively low. The study also shows that there is positive relationship between malaria and the environmental factors especially elevation and rainfall while there is more negative relationship between malaria, temperature and vegetation NDVI. The study revealed also the areas of high risk to potential malaria attacks due to the favorability of the factors in those areas to malaria attack.