Analysis of Plasmodium sp. parasites in livestock in Malaria endemic areas, Muara Enim Regency.

Malaria is still a health problem in developing countries, including Indonesia. Malaria is caused by the bite of the female Anopheles mosquito, the vector of the Plasmodium parasite. Cattle is one of the risk factors as a host for the Anopheles mosquito. The density of Anopheles mosquitoes around the cowshed is higher. The existence of livestock cages in residential areas can cause malaria cases. Lawang Kidul District, Muara Enim Regency is a malaria-endemic area in South Sumatra. The study aimed to detect Plasmodium sp. parasites in cattle in malaria-endemic areas. The method used is analytic observational with a cross-sectional approach. Samples were taken by purposive sampling of 80 samples of cow blood and 80 livestock owners as respondents in Lawang Kidul District, Muara Enim Regency. The results showed that 41.2% of the detected bovine blood samples were found to be Plasmodium sp. The results also showed a significant relationship between cage distance and the habit of using mosquito nets with p-values of 0.001 and 0.003, and it was known that cage spacing was the most dominant risk factor with a p-value of 0.000 and OR=13.21. Based on this, it was concluded that cattle are hosts for the proliferation of Plasmodium sp, so zooprophylaxis can be part of an effective strategy to reduce malaria incidence. Malaria prevention and control efforts are needed for each individual and household. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]