An Assessment and Mapping of Malaria Risk in Lagos State

Abstract

Malaria is a major public health problem in Lagos State. Over the years, the state
government has been making efforts through the Eko Free Malaria programme and the
Roll Back Malaria initiative to ensure the eradication of malaria in the state. Despite all
the malaria intervention projects of the state, however, the incidence of the disease still
remains significantly high. A major reason for this is that at present the State lacks
adequate geographical mapping of malaria risk for proper spatial targeting of measures
aimed at eradicating malaria. Using malaria data collected from the Lagos State
Ministry of Health (LSMH) and climatic data (rainfall, temperature and humidity) from
the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NiMET), this study analyzed and mapped the spatial
and seasonal variations in the distribution of malaria occurrence in Lagos State from
2008 to 2016. Geographic Information System (GIS) was used to create a malaria
database and map the distributional patterns of malaria morbidity and mortality cases in
all the twenty Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the State for the period under review.
The study revealed significant variations in the distribution pattern of malaria morbidity
and mortality across the state. It was also found that the state usually records a higher
rate of malaria occurrence during the rainy season months (April – November) compared
to the dry season months (December – March). Generally, the annual rate of malaria
prevalence in Lagos is still high. The State should embrace routine micro-level malarial
analysis and mapping, for effective geographical targeting of malaria eradication
measures.