SPATIAL ANALYSIS OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF MALARIA OUTCOMES IN EXPECTANT MOTHERS IN SOUTHERN EDO STATE

Abstract

Degraded environments have been observed to have negative effects on health outcomes. The right actions on environmental health can reduce the burden of the disease as curative measures are usually costlier and complicated, when compared to preventive measures. The key objective of the study is to identify areas of high malaria burden and policy which provide a framework to curb the malaria disease burden, especially among expectant mothers. This study employed Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW) interpolation which is a spatial analysis method whereby values at a particular location are determined by giving more importance to the values of nearby points. This was used to identify, visualize, and map out areas of high malaria incidence amongst expectant mothers in Edo South Senatorial District in Southern Nigeria based on temperature and rainfall data from 2013 - 2020. The study found three of seven Local Government Areas (LGAs): Egor, Ovia South West and Oredo, to have the highest record of malaria confirmed in expectant mothers, which were tied to environmental conditions, as slight increases in temperature overtime were observed to have a relationship with malaria outcomes in expectant mothers. Consequently, curbing extreme temperatures ranges was found to be crucial not only to addressing climate change concerns but combating the development and spread of the mosquito vector. Based on the findings, the study recommends the need for a standard maintenance of the immediate surroundings of households in order to minimize malaria incidence. Experts and policy makers can mobilize public support by involving Local communities and other stakeholders in the fight against malaria eradication, especially amongst vulnerable groups such as expectant mothers