Publications

World Health Organization (WHO) defines malaria as a life-threatening parasitic disease caused by a bite of an infectedAnopheles mosquito. Malaria can kill within 24 hours of the onset of symptoms and whereas it affects all the people,most affected are children under the age of 5 years. Malaria is the most killer parasitic disease globally that affects mainlychildren less than 5 years old because of their low immunity. This study was aimed at determining the factors influencingthe prevalence of malaria in children below the age of 5 years in Hoima Regional Referral Hospital, Hoima District,Uganda. This was a descriptive cross-sectional study of the outpatient department of the Hoima Regional ReferralHospital. Simple random sampling was used to get the study participants (caretakers of children under five years of agewith their children). Data was collected using an interview questionnaire and children were tested for malaria usingmicroscopy and MRDT. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 20.00. The prevalence of malaria in under five years wasfound to be 48.6 %. The environmental factors were associated with the occurrence of malaria in under five years. Theprevalence of malaria in under five years was high and garbage heaps in the environment were significantly associatedwith its occurrence