Objective

To assess the prevalence of malaria parasitemia in north–east Nigeria and to evaluate the measures for the prevention of malaria.
Methods

A village in north–eastern Nigeria was selected for the cross sectional study at the height of the rainy season in October 2011. A total of 550 inhabitants of a hamlet were recruited for this study. After obtaining the consent individuals received a structured interview and were tested for malaria parasites in their blood films. Recruits testing positive for malaria were given a course of artemesinin–based combination therapy (ACT).
Results

A total of 497 inhabitants representing approximately 90 percent of the population participated: a quarter of the study group carried malaria parasitesexclusively Plasmodium falciparum(P. falciparum)–representing a P. falciparum parasite rate (PfPR) of 24.5%. Besides, 53/138 in the age group of 2 to < 10 years old children tested positive for P. falciparum representing a PfPR2–10 value of 38.4%. Malaria control measures were used in just under a third (157/497) of this cohort. Despite these measures 28/157 (17.8%) still tested positive for P. falciparum.
Conclusions

The malaria burden is overestimated for this region in north–east Nigeria. The findings support an intermediate pattern of malaria endemicity. The 30% bed nets coverage for malaria control is well below the WHO estimates for 2011.