Malaria among the students of religious schools of Bannu District,Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,Pakistan

A parasitological survey was conducted from march to may 2002 to assess the prevalence of malaria,among the students of religious schools (islamic madaris) of bannu district. a total of 581 male students of different age groups were examined. the prevalence of malaria was also examined in relation to urban and rural localities,nature of surrounding areas and presence of wire screen in windows of sleeping quarters. of these 581 individuals,3.61% were found positive only for plasmodium vivax. no other species of plasmodium was detected. the prevalence of malaria was highest (5.52%) in age group of 5-9 years,intermediate (3.37%) in age group of 10-14 years and lower (2.2%) in age group of 15-19 years,though the differences were not significant. the prevalence of malaria was significantly higher in madaris located in marshy areas (6.94%) than in those having dry surroundings (2.51%). similarly,prevalence of malaria was higher in rural settings (4.56%) than in urban settings (2.38%). also prevalence rate of malaria was lower (1.80%) in madaris where windows of sleeping quarters were screened than in those where windows were without screens (4.72%). © 2012 zoological society of pakistan.