DISTRIBUTION OF ENVIRONMENTAL FACTOR TO MALARIA INCINDENCE IN MUARA ENIM REGENCY

Abstract

One of the factors causing malaria transmission is the habitat and the environment of each region that can be observed from the population density, land use, and elevation. The aim study is to analyze the malaria incidence, the socio-demographic factors, the frequency distribution of the environmental variability, such as water quality, air quality, social behavior, the relationship between the socio-demographic factors, and the factor with the highest risk of malaria incidence in  Muara Enim Regency. This study used a qualitative study design with an analytical survey method and case-control approach.Results of the study are  (1) the number of malaria cases in Muara Enim Regency in 2019 was 52 people (32.9%) and the number of controls was 106 people (67.1%). (2) The socio-demographic factors (age and sex) are correlated with malaria incidence, while education is not correlated with malaria incidence and employment status is a protective factor, (3) the frequency distribution of water quality shows that the water has an average pH of 8.39, a turbidity of 3.27, an Electrical Conductivity of water of 22.88, water hardness of 58.13 with an SD of 18.77, indicating that the water quality in Muara Enim Regency supports the growth of Anopheles larvae, (4) the frequency distribution of air quality has an average air temperature of 30.58, an average air humidity of 70, an average wind velocity of 22.75, indicating that the air quality supports the high number of malaria cases, (5) the social environmental factor or the habit of having outdoor activities at night is correlated with malaria incidence, while the habit of using a mosquito net, mosquito repellent, hanging clothes are not correlated with malaria incidence and the use of a wire mesh is the protective factor, (6) the most dominant factor of malaria incidence is having outdoor activities at night with an OR of 15.214; 95% CI of 5.241-44.168. The habit of having outdoor activities at night is a statistically significant variable; the result of multivariate analysis is the factor with the highest risk of malaria incidence with a p-value of less than 0.0001, an OR of 15.214, 95% CI of 5.241-44.168. The result of this study is relevant to the World Malaria Report from WHO (2018); these respondents’ practices are extremely logical as the risk factor of malaria incidence because of the activity of Anopheles mosquitos in seeking blood and transmitting sporozoites to other people happens at night. Thus, everyone who has the habit of having outdoor activities at night will certainly be bitten by mosquitoes. The condition for the people’s practice in Muara Enim Regency showed the risk of being bitten by mosquitoes at night because the people in that location mostly have outdoor activities at night. As its implication, those who have a habit of having outdoor activities at night will have the risk of being bitten by the mosquitoes act as malaria vector and suffered from malaria.The socio-demographic factors, such as sex and age, are correlated with malaria incidence, while employment status and education are not correlated with malaria incidence and the factor causing malaria is the habit of having outdoor activities at night.