Abstract
Background Malaria is a protozoan disease caused by the Plasmodium species. Among the five Plasmodium species. Among the five Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax malaria are by far the most predominant and widely distributed in Ethiopia. Malaria is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality globally, particularly in the sub-Saharan countries including Ethiopia. It is also a major obstacle to socio-economic development in the country. Methods Articles were searched from PubMed, Google Scholar, and Science Direct databases. The pooled prevalence estimates were analyzed using the DerSimonian-Laird random-effects model and the possible sources of heterogeneity were evaluated through subgroup analysis, metaregression, and sensitivity analysis. Publication bias was analyzed using funnel plots and Egger's test statistics. The data management and analysis were done using STATA 15.1 version software. Results Among 922 studies initially identified, thirty-five full-text articles fulfilled the inclusion criteria and included in the study. The combined, Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax malaria are by far the most predominant and widely Conclusions This systematic review and meta-analysis showed a high malaria prevalence in Ethiopia. Therefore, previous prevention and control measures should be revised and/or strengthened as appropriate and new strategies should be implemented. In addition, technical, financial and material support, and coordination of the regional capacity building and logistics should be adequately implemented.
Highlights
Malaria is a protozoan disease caused by the Plasmodium species
Microscopy has limited sensitivity and needs skilled professionals, it remains the gold standard for malaria diagnosis [16]. e Ethiopian government has adopted various strategies to control malaria including early diagnosis, prompt treatment, selective vector control, and epidemic prevention [8]
Study Area. e study was conducted in Ethiopia which has a total area of 1.1 million square kilometers [7, 26]. e country’s topographic feature ranges from 110 meters below sea level to 4,550 meters above sea level. e predominant climate type is tropical monsoon, with three broad agro-ecological regions [26]. e mean annual temperatures range from 10°C to 16°C in the “highlands,” 16°C to 29°C in the “midlands,” and 23°C to 33°C in the “lowlands.” e highlands and lowlands receive annual rainfalls ranging from 500 metersm to over 2,000 metersm and from 300 metersm to 700 metersm, respectively [7]
Summary
Among the ve Plasmodium species known to infect human beings, Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax malaria are by far the most predominant and widely distributed in Ethiopia. In Ethiopia, malaria transmission is seasonal, variable, and coincides with the peak agricultural activities that greatly a ected the country’s socio-economic development. Four species including P. vivax, P. falciparum, P. ovale, and P. malarae are known to infect human beings in Ethiopia [3]. Malaria transmission is highly a ected by environmental variables such as topography, rainfall, climate, and socio-economic conditions of the population [4, 8,9,10,11] For this reason, tropical regions including Ethiopia with warm temperature, heavy rainfall, and high humidity are conducive for mosquito breeding, longevity and parasite sporogony [12, 13]. Microscopy has limited sensitivity and needs skilled professionals, it remains the gold standard for malaria diagnosis [16]. e Ethiopian government has adopted various strategies to control malaria including early diagnosis, prompt treatment, selective vector control, and epidemic prevention [8]
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