Evaluation of climatic and non-climatic influence on malaria prevalence in the Upper River Region of The Gambia

Ugochinyere Agatha Okafor , Umberto D’Alessandro, Vincent Nduka Ojeh, Walter Leal Filho, Iddisah Alhassah, Sidat Yaffa

Despite the scale-up of intervention, malaria remains a burden in the Upper River Region of The Gambia. Climate changes and non-climatic conditions can substantially influence malaria prevalence, and further affect the coverage of preventive interventions. This work aimed at exploring the different climatic and non-climatic risk factors associated with malaria. A descriptive research method using a parallel mixed method approach was adopted. Using a multistage approach, 381 households were selected from the region, and primary data was collected from household heads. Descriptive statistics were performed using StataSE18, and the significant influence of environmental and socioeconomic factors was analyzed using Chi-square (Χ2). Thematic analysis for the qualitative part was carried out using Nvivo.
Malaria is heavily influenced by rainfalls, floods, and some of the measured non-climatic factors. These results will provide individuals, professionals, government, and policymakers valuable information for better-targeting malaria control efforts.