The present study was conducted to evaluate the prevalence of malaria and status of Plasmodium species in the residents of Dir Lower, Pakistan. A total of 2395 blood samples were collected from seven Tehsils of District Dir Lower during March to September 2017. The samples were examined to determine the type of Plasmodium species with the help of blood smears under microscope. Out of 2395 samples, 292 were found positive for Plasmodium spp. Higher frequency of malaria was found in people aged 1-10 years (14.3%) while lowest frequency was found in people aged 61 years and above (7.3%). The maximum number of cases of malaria were detected in August 2017 (17.46%) and minimum number in March 2017 (9.93%). Highest rate of malaria was found in tehsil Timergara (16%) and lowest rate found in tehsil Samarbagh (7.7%). Malaria prevalence was higher in males (56.8%) compared with females (43.2%). Only two species of Plasmodium i.e. Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum were detected in the study cohort. Out of the 292 positive samples, Plasmodium vivax was detected in 92.8% of the study cohort while Plasmodium falciparum was detected in 7.2% of the studied samples. Malaria was more prevalent in males with high frequency in the month of August. Plasmodium vivax was the most abundant species followed by Plasmodium falciparum.
