Zooprophylaxis with special reference to malaria in human population

To examine the possibility that domestic cattle kept in house courtyards might protect residents against malaria through zooprophylaxis. Prevalence of malaria was conducted from December 1995 to November 1996 in human population of distract Karak (NWFP). The analysis showed that the overall incidence was higher (11.81%) among the population which reared cattle than among those which did not (6.53%). The overall incidence of the disease, was higher in Autumn in cattle keeping population. However, comparison of prevalence. of both species of Plasmodium (P. vivax cg P. falciparum) revealed a positive correlation between parasite rates and the proportion of families owing cattle. This finding supports the prediction of the Sota-Mogi theoretical model that domestic animals can enhance rather than reduce malaria transmission when vectors are zoophilic. It can be concluded that alongwith other factors, cattle also play some role in spreading of the disease.