Abstract
BackgroundIndoor residual spraying of insecticide (IRS) is a key intervention for reducing the burden of malaria infection. Effectiveness and success of this strategy are to a considerable extent dependent on knowledge and practice of the target community regarding the IRS. Iran has entered the malaria elimination phase, and IRS has been considered as the main strategy for malaria vector control. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the household knowledge and practices about malaria and IRS in Bashagard County, one of the malaria-endemic areas in the southeast of Iran.MethodsA community-based cross-sectional survey was conducted among 420 households in Bashagard County. The participants who were selected using a two-stage randomized cluster sampling procedure were subjected to a tested structured questionnaire. During the survey, direct observations were made concerning the use of IRS as well as housing conditions. The data were coded and analysed using SPSS version 19.ResultsKnowledge levels about malaria as a disease and the mosquito as its vector were high and of equal magnitude (85.5% and 85.4%, respectively), while knowledge levels of IRS were even higher (91.6%). The main source of households’ information about malaria and IRS was primarily community health workers (73.3%). Despite positive perceptions towards IRS only 26.7% of respondents had sprayed their houses which is lower than the WHO targeted coverage of 80%. Respiratory disorders and headache (33.3%), food contamination (24.9%), discolouring of inner house walls (17.7%), difficulty in furniture’s movement (13.8%), and unpleasant odour (10.4%) were the main reasons for IRS refusal.ConclusionThere is a discrepancy between knowledge about symptoms and the transmission route of malaria and control practices related to IRS use. Therefore, IRS campaigns accompanied with education for behaviour change should be considered to ensure householders’ participation and cooperation in the IRS programme. Moreover, continuous evaluation and monitoring of IRS as well as conducting more surveys on knowledge, attitude, and practices are recommended to improve malaria control measures and to identify indicators for effective, successful, and sustainable malaria elimination programme.
Highlights
Indoor residual spraying of insecticide (IRS) is a key intervention for reducing the burden of malaria infection
This is in contrast to findings from a recent study conducted in Saudi Arabia, India and Uganda that reported the social media as the primary source of malaria information [20, 27, 28]
This study revealed a significant relationship between knowledge levels of the households about malaria symptoms and the history of malaria infection in the family
Summary
Indoor residual spraying of insecticide (IRS) is a key intervention for reducing the burden of malaria infection. Iran has entered the malaria elimination phase, and IRS has been considered as the main strategy for malaria vector control. This study was conducted to determine the household knowledge and practices about malaria and IRS in Bashagard County, one of the malaria-endemic areas in the southeast of Iran. As in other malaria-endemic countries, has employed effective vector control measures including indoor residual spraying (IRS), long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs), and application of larvicides as the main vector control interventions [4,5,6]. Challenges to the elimination of malaria in low socioeconomic areas, such as Bashagard County, include the inability to sustain control programmes due to community perceptions and practice for malaria control. Promotion of community participation through health education and communication programmes can be considered as a strategy against these challenges
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