Effect of malaria on academic performance in secondary schools in south west Nyakach ward, Kisumu

Abstract

This study discusses the effect of malaria on academic performance among secondary school form four students in South West Nyakach ward. Malaria is a very serious disease caused by the protozoan parasite plasmodium. It is the most common and dangerous type of parasite that can kill a child within one day (UNICEF 2014). Malaria parasite is transmitted by a female Anopheles mosquitoe which bites a person mainly between dusk and dawn. Malaria is an acute ferbrile illness with an incubation period of 7 days or longer. Malaria slows down the economic development in Kenya and Africa at large. The most severe form is caused by P falciparum. The symptoms include fever, chills, headache, muscle arching and convulsions weakness, vomiting cough, diarrhoea and abdominal pain. Other symptoms related to organ failure, such as acute renal failure, pulmonary oedema, generalized convulsions, circulatory collapse, followed by coma and death. (WHO2017). The purpose of this study was to establish the impact of malaria on academic achievement in secondary school in South West Nyakach location. The main objective of the study was to investigate the effect of malaria on students’ performance on class attendance, private studies, class attendance, class assignments, examinations and extra curriculum activities. The study employed descriptive survey design .It was used because it is the most suitable design for such a qualitative and quantitative study. The study population consisted of (5) five secondary schools, 1441 students and 92 teachers. Simple random sampling technique was used to select a sample of 180 students from the study population, while saturated sampling was used to select the teachers. Data was collected by use of questionnaire, interviews and documents analysis was used to get health records where students go to seek medical attention. Data collected from the field was analysed using descriptive statistics that involved use of percentages, bar chart and pie chart. The overall research findings indicated that the rate of information was so high that about 18 students suffered from malaria seek attention and malaria symptoms included stomaches.headaches and high fever which interferes with students academic performance and concentration in class.