Determinants of malaria infection among under five children in Gurusum district of Somali region, Eastern Ethiopia

Abstract

Background Despite the significant investments to control malaria infections over the past years, new infection rates remain significant public health problem in sub-Saharan Africa including in Ethiopia. This study aims in investigating key determinant of malaria infection among under five years (U5) children in Gursum district of Somali region, East Ethiopia. Method An institutional based case-control study was conducted for two months between June to July 2020. The study comprised 247 participants, divided into 82 cases and 165 controls, maintaining a case-to-control ratio of 1:2. It focused on households with children under the age of five who received care at three health centers located in the district. The investigation included identifying plasmodium species using rapid diagnostic tests and microscopic blood film examination. Logistic regression model was used to identify the factors influencing the outcome, using a statistical software STATA-13/15. Odds ratios and the corresponding confidence intervals were used to identify potential predictors in logistic regression model. Results A multivariate analysis disclosed the following five exposures to be significantly associated with malaria positivity among children. Those are, being-living near to source of a stagnant water [AOR = 3.60 (1.73–7.48)], in rural area [AOR = 3.58 (1.56–8.21)], in a house with openings or holes on the wall for mosquito entry [AOR = 5.00 (2.22–11.28)], and not receiving malaria health information [AOR = 2.12 (1.06–4.21)]. In addition, household being near to malaria breeding habitat [AOR = 4.74 (2.27–9.90)] was significant with malaria positivity.. These are the top five key determinant of malaria positivity among U5 children the Gursum district. Conclusion The study revealed that the most pressing determinant for malaria positivity among U5 in the Gurum district seems to be related to unawareness, housing and spatial proximity to breading sites. Therefore, social mobilization, and spatially targeted malaria interventions are essential to reduce the transmission of the disease at the community level, especially among the most vulnerable children.