Answer:
The frequency of the population that are carriers is 0.284 or 28.4%
Explanation:
According to Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium equation, p² + q² + 2pq = 1
Also, the sum of the allele frequencies for all the alleles at the locus, p + q = 1.
Where where p is the frequency of the dominant allele and q is the frequency of the recessive allele in the population.
p² = dominant h0m0zygous genotype frequency
2pq = heterozygous genotype frequency
q² = recessive h0m0zygous genotype frequency
From the given data; the dominant h0m0zygous genotype, i.e., the proportion of an African population that are susceptible to Malaria, p² = 0.688
p = √0.6880 = 0.829
But p + q = 1; q = 1 - p
Since p = 0.829, q = 1 - 0.829
q = 0.171
Frequency carriers for Sickle Cell allele, i.e., the heterozygous genotype = 2pq
Frequency of carriers = 2 × 0.829 × 0.171 = 0.284
Therefore, the frequency of the population that are carriers is 0.284 or 28.4%
