Knowledge Of Malaria Research Articles

Assessment of knowledge about malaria and LLIN ownership and its use in Bankura, West Bengal, India.

Community participation is one of the key factors for implementation and success of a public health programme which depends upon knowledge about that disease. Therefore, understanding the community knowledge about malaria is important for designing sustainable control programmes. This study was conducted to assess the knowledge about malaria, to evaluate long lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) distribution and their use by LQAS method in endemic areas of Bankura district, West Bengal state, India Methods: It was a community based cross-sectional survey conducted in Bankura during December 2019-March 2020. Structured questionnaire under four categories: socio-demographic variables, knowledge of malaria, owner ship of LLINs and its use were used for the interview. Ownership of LLINs and its use were analysed by LQAS method. Data were analysed by binary logistic regression model and chi-squared test. Out of 456 respondents, 88.59% had good knowledge, 97.37% had good ownership of LLIN and 78.95% used LLINs properly. The knowledge about malaria was significantly associated with education level (p-value<0.0001). Out of 24 lots studied, 3, 2, 4 lots were underperforming with respect to knowledge, ownership of LLIN and its use, respectively. The study population had a good knowledge about malaria. In spite of good coverage of LLIN distribution, the use of LLINs was not up to the mark. LQAS analysis showed underperformance in few lots about knowledge, ownership of LLIN and its use. The IEC and BCC activities about LLIN should be done to achieve the impact of this intervention at the community level.

Factors associated with community engagement in areas with a high and low incidence of local malaria cases in Zanzibar

INTRODUCTION: The prevalence of asymptomatic infection in the general population in Zanzibar has declined from above 25% in 2005 to less than 1% in 2010. Despite these achievements, in 2021, the number of malaria cases increased by two folds. This study aimed at understanding the levels of community engagement towards malaria elimination and factors associated with them to provide recommendations that can be used to reinforce community engagement. METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted using structured questionnaires to 431 randomly selected households. The interviewees were the heads of households or representative adults above 18 years. Univariate and multivariate analysis was done to determine the association between social demographic characteristics, malaria knowledge, practicing malaria prevention interventions and status of community engagement. Statistical significance test was declared at P- value

Knowledge, Attitudes and Practice About Malaria Prevention in a Sub-Urban Community in Southwestern Nigeria

Background: Malaria is a complex disease that varies widely in epidemiology and clinical manifestation in different parts of the world. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates 241 million malaria cases in 2020. April 25 every year, the world comes together under "World Malaria Day" (WMD) to raise awareness of the burden of malaria around the world. Objective: This study was conducted on WMD 2022 to evaluate the knowledge, attitude and practice toward malaria prevention in a sub-urban community in south-western Nigeria. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among residents in the Mushin local government area, Lagos State, on WMD 2022. A self-administered structured questionnaire was filled out by conveniently sampled participants in a strategic location in the venue. Descriptive analysis was carried out to determine participants’ knowledge and attitude to malaria and practices of malaria prevention. Results: One hundred and thirty-five (135) people participated in the study. Majority of the respondents were female (77; 57%) and between the ages 44 to 56 years (48; 35.6%). About (101; 75%) of the respondent had good knowledge of malaria but almost (79; 58.9%) had poor attitude to malaria. The majority (88; 65.2%) of the respondents had a poor practice towards malaria prevention. Conclusion: Most participants had good knowledge about malaria but poor attitude and practice of prevention of the disease. These findings stress the need to enhance community knowledge and sensitization efforts about malaria. Public health enlightenment efforts on malaria prevention should be intensified.

Evaluating knowledge of malaria and health seeking behavior among clients attending hospital in the Ho Municipality of the Volta Region of Ghana

Evaluating knowledge of malaria and health seeking behavior among clients attending hospital in the Ho Municipality of the Volta Region of Ghana

Knowledge and preventive practices against malaria among pregnant women in urban and rural public healthcare facilities in nigeria’s federal capital territory

Background: Malaria is a life-threatening parasitic disease, and pregnant women are at risk of its adverse consequences. Objectives: The study aimed to determine knowledge and preventive practices against malaria among pregnant women at urban and rural public health facilities in Abuja, Nigeria. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study design was used. The two-stage sampling method was used to select 520 pregnant women in 16 health facilities. A structured questionnaire was used for data collection. Data analysis was done using SPSS statistical software version 22.0, and the level of statistical significance was determined at P-value of less than 0.05. Results: The mean age of respondents was 29.6±4.6 and 27.9±4.9 years in urban and rural areas, respectively (P≤0.001). A significantly higher proportion of women in the urban area (44.2%) had good knowledge of malaria than those in the rural area (26.2%) (P < 0.001). Comparable proportions of respondents in urban (13.1%) and rural (23.1%) areas had good preventive practices against malaria (P = 0.218). The predictor of good knowledge of malaria in the urban area was using secondary health facilities for antenatal care [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.3–4.4], whereas tertiary education (95% CI=1.1–2.3) and utilizing secondary health facilities (95% CI=1.2–2.8) were predictors in the rural area. Predictors of good preventive practice included being self-employed (95% CI=1.5–11.6) and having good knowledge of malaria (95% CI=1.3–6.4) in the urban area. Conclusion: Minor proportions of respondents in the study area had good knowledge of, and good preventive practices against, malaria. There is a need for relevant authorities to enlighten women on malaria and its preventive practices and to motivate them to practice malaria prevention throughout pregnancies.

Assessment of Knowledge and Attitude Regarding Risk Factors of Malaria Among Caregivers of Under-Five Children in the Buea Health District, South West Region, Cameroon

Aims: The study measured the level of knowledge and attitudes towards malaria and examined associated factors among caregivers of under-five children.&#x0D; Study Design: The study was community-based, descriptive cross-sectional.&#x0D; Place and Duration of Study: The study was carried out in Buea Health District (BHD) from February to June 2020.&#x0D; Methodology: Data were obtained through face-to-face interviews with the caregivers of under-fives. The above mean scores were used to determine the level of knowledge. The attitude levels were measured by using 3-point Likert scales. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to identify risk factors associated with knowledge and attitude. SPSS software version 20.0 was used for analysis.&#x0D; Results: Out of the 390 respondents, 69.5% of them had a neutral attitude. Meanwhile, 27.7 % of participants carried a favorable attitude towards malaria and only 2.8 % of them had an unfavorable attitude, Caregivers of under-five children who scored below the mean score were 25.1 % which was considered having poor knowledge and above the mean score was 74.9% which was considered good knowledge. In the multivariable logistic analysis, caregivers with a primary school level of education were 4.1 times (AOR = 4.1, CI = 1.486-11.102) times more likely of receiving a high malaria knowledge score as compared to those with no formal education. Factors associated with caregiver's attitude level towards malaria risk were educational level and marital status which showed significant associations in the univariate analysis&#x0D; Conclusion: Caregivers of under-fives displayed a good knowledge of malaria risk factors. However, in these endemic areas for malaria, caregiver attitude was found to be unenthusiastic and unresponsive, and this poses additional challenges in reaching the malaria elimination goal. Thus, suggesting that educational messages during the campaign should be contextual to reach out to local communities to trigger a positive behavioural change.

Human-centered design process and solutions to promote malaria testing and treatment seeking behavior in Guyana hinterlands

BackgroundMalaria is a persistent public health challenge among miners and other hard-to-reach populations in Guyana’s hinterland, specifically in Regions 1, 7, 8, and 9. Despite an overall decrease in malaria prevalence throughout Guyana, it remains common among mining populations whose work conditions both contribute toward malaria transmission and make it difficult to seek timely, Ministry of Health (MoH) approved malaria testing and treatment services. In an effort to develop innovative approaches to address this public health challenge, an interdisciplinary team of public health professionals, designers, and mining organizations collaborated using a human-centered design (HCD) process facilitated by the USAID-funded Breakthrough ACTION Guyana project in partnership with the MoH.MethodsThis paper describes two phases: [1] Define and [2] Design & Test. In the Define phase, following a literature review, we conducted 108 qualitative interviews with miners, camp managers, trained malaria testers, health workers, and other key stakeholders to understand experiences and challenges when seeking malaria testing and treatment services. These interviews were synthesized into 11 insights on issues such as risk perception, malaria knowledge, preventive behaviors, traditional and self-treatment, adherence to the correct treatment, testing, and coordination and communication gaps. From these insights, during the Design & Test phase, we developed 33 “How might we…?” questions which led to 792 ideas, of which eight emergent concepts were prototyped and refined in the field with 145 miners, camp managers, and stakeholders.ResultsThe five final prototypes included: “Little Mosquito, Big Problem” social behavior change campaign; rapid counseling cards; branded malaria testing and treatment services; innovations in treatment adherence; and a participants, content, and logistics approach.ConclusionWhen applying HCD to public health issues, there are both opportunities and challenges to reconcile gaps that may exist between the two disciplines. However, HCD provides additional tools and mindsets to generatively work with migrant and mobile mining communities to encourage malaria testing and treatment services.

Malaria awareness of adults in high, moderate and low transmission settings: A cross-sectional study in rural East Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia.

The 2009 Indonesian roadmap to malaria elimination indicated that the nation had been progressing towards achieving malaria elimination by 2030. Currently, most of the districts in the western part of Indonesia have eliminated malaria; however, none of the districts in the East Nusa Tenggara Province (ENTP) have met these set targets. This study aimed to investigate the status of malaria awareness of rural adults in the ENTP. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted between October and December 2019 in high, moderate, and low malaria-endemic settings (MESs) in the ENTP. After obtaining informed consent, data were collected using an interviewer-administered structure questionnaire among 1503 participants recruited by a multi-stage cluster sampling method. A malaria awareness index was developed based on ten questions. A binary logistic regression method was applied to investigate the significance of any association between malaria awareness and the different MESs. The participation rate of the study was 99.5%. Of this number, 51.4% were female and 45.5% had completed primary education. The malaria awareness index was significantly low (48.8%, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 45.2-52.4). Malaria awareness of rural adults residing in low endemic settings was two times higher than for those living in high endemic settings (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 2.41, 95% CI: 1.81-3.21) and the basic malaria knowledge of participants living in low malaria-endemic settings was almost four times higher than that in high endemic settings (AOR: 3.75, 95% CI: 2.75-5.11). Of the total participants, 81.3% (95% CI: 79.1-83.5) were aware that malaria could be prevented and 75.1% (95% CI: 72.6-77.6) knew at least one prevention measure. Overall, the awareness of fever as the main symptom of malaria, mosquito bites as the transmission mode of malaria, and seeking treatment within 24 hours of suffering from malaria was poor at 37.9% (95% CI: 33.9-41.9), 59.1% (95% CI: 55.9-62.3), and 46.0% (95% CI: 42.3-49.7), respectively. The poor level of awareness was significantly different amongst the three MESs, with the lowest levels of awareness in the high endemic setting. Malaria awareness of rural adults needs to be improved to address Indonesia's national roadmap for malaria elimination. Results indicated that public health programs at a local government level should incorporate the malaria awareness index in their key strategic intervention to address malaria awareness.

The moderated mediation role of malaria knowledge and household income in the relationship between insecticidetreated mosquito nets and malaria prevalence

Objectives: The study was premised on the notion that insecticidetreated mosquito nets are positively related to malaria prevalence, and that knowledge mediates the relationship between insecticide-treated mosquito nets and malaria. Furthermore, household income was hypothesized to have a moderating effect on the direct and indirect relationships (through malaria knowledge) between insecticide-treated mosquito nets and the prevalence of malaria. Methods: The hypothesized relationships were examined using panel data collected from ten regions of Ethiopia during 2011 – 2015. Structural equation modeling and the random effect model were used to test the hypotheses. Statistical analyses were performed using Stata version 13.0. Results: The results were consistent with our proposed hypotheses, showing a significant relationship between the research variables. The findings suggest that malaria knowledge contributes to improving the relationship between insecticide-treated mosquito nets and malaria prevalence. A positively significant indirect effect (β = 0.47, p = 0.003) as well as direct effect (β = 0.28, p = 0.001) was revealed in the study. Furthermore, a positive impact of household income in strengthening the relationship between insecticide-treated mosquito nets and malaria through knowledge reported, with a considerable value (β = 0.13, p = 0.000). The result also reveals differences in the outcome of malaria prevalence at different levels of household income category, where the indirect effect of insecticide-treated mosquito nets on malaria prevalence via malaria knowledge was positive and significant for households under the second-level income category (β = 0.15, p = 0.000). Conversely, the indirect effect of insecticide-treated mosquito nets on malaria prevalence via malaria knowledge was negative for the high level-income category (β = -0.14, p = 0.022). Besides, insignificant and negative relationships were reported for households under low-level income categories (β = 0.024, p = 0.539). Conclusion: The findings are potentially useful for the health sector to ensure success in infectious disease prevention and control, particularly malaria, and to explain how various factors contribute to the relationship. Keywords: malaria; insecticide-treated mosquito nets; malaria knowledge; household-income; structural equation modelling.

The acceptability of targeted mass treatment with primaquine for local elimination of vivax malaria in a northern Myanmar township: a mixed-methods study

BackgroundRadical cure of the Plasmodium vivax latent liver stage is required to effectively manage vivax malaria. Targeted mass treatment with primaquine may be an effective mechanism for reducing reservoirs of the disease. Since community engagement and high coverage are essential for mass treatment programs, this study aimed to determine the acceptability of mass primaquine treatment in a targeted community in a northern Myanmar township.MethodsA cross-sectional mixed-methods study was deployed among household leaders in July 2019. Face-to-face interviews using structured questionnaires and standardized qualitative guidelines were conducted to gather information. Descriptive and inferential statistics, including logistic regression models, were applied.ResultsAmong 609 study respondents, > 90% agreed to participate in an upcoming targeted mass primaquine treatment (TPT) program. Factors contributing to higher odds of acceptability of the program were older age [adjusted odds ratios (aOR): 2.38, 95% confidence intervals (CI) 1.08–8.96], secondary education level (aOR: 3.99, 95% CI 1.12–20.01), having good knowledge of malaria (aOR: 2.12, 95% CI 1.04–4.76), experiencing malaria within the family (aOR: 1.92, 95% CI 1.14–5.13), and believing eliminating malaria from the village is possible (aOR: 2.83, 95% CI 1.07–4.07). Furthermore, 50 community respondents, 6 midwives, and 4 public health staff (grade II) participated in the qualitative component of the study. Many thought that TPT seemed feasible and stressed that high coverage of underserved groups and health education are needed before commencing the activity.ConclusionsMost respondents agreed to participate in the proposed mass treatment campaign. Older people with secondary education level and those who had experienced malaria within their families were most likely to report willingness to participate. These same individuals may be important in the community engagement process to increase community acceptance of the program.Graphical abstract

Acceptability and feasibility of the school-engaged social and behavior change communication approach on malaria prevention in Ethiopia: implications for engagement, empowerment, and retention (EER) of education sectors in malaria elimination efforts

BackgroundEvidence on process outcomes such as acceptability, and feasibility of behavior change communication interventions are important in program evaluation to understand how, and why such a program works. However; documented evidence on the issue is not available as far as the social and behavior change communication (SBCC) on malaria is concerned. Enrolling the frontline providers this study measured the acceptability and feasibility of the school-engaged SBCC strategy on malaria prevention in malaria-endemic settings of Ethiopia.MethodsA school-engaged SBCC strategy involving various communication and capacity-building interventions aimed to advance malaria preventive practices in primary schools in Jimma were implemented from 2017 to 2019. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 205 key stakeholders at the end of the intervention. Both acceptability and feasibility were measured using standardized tools. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and filled by the study participants. The SPSS version 26 was used to analyze the data. Multivariate general linear modeling was performed to identify the predictors of acceptability and feasibility of the program. P-value < 5% was considered to decide statistical significance.ResultsThe result showed the mean scores (M, range = R) of acceptability and feasibility of the program were (M = 25.63, R = 6 to 30) and (M = 19.35, R = 5 to 25) respectively. The multivariate linear modeling showed acceptability was affected by self-efficacy; (β = 0.438, P < 0.001), community support; (β = 0.417, P < 0.001), school climate; (β = − 0.16; P = 0.003), perceived malaria threat; (β = 0.40, P < 0.001) and knowledge; (β = 0.229, P = 0.013). Similarly, feasibility was influenced by self-efficacy; (β = 0.352, P < 0.001), community support; (β = 0.591, P < 0.001), school climate; (β = − 0.099, P-value < 0.030) and perceived malaria threat; (β = 0.172, P = 0.002).ConclusionWith a considerably high level of acceptability, the school-engaged SBCC strategy to enhance malaria preventive practices seems feasible. The SBCC strategy targeting personal factors such as malaria threat perceptions, knowledge and skills on the program, and contextual factors that include school social climate and community support would be fruitful to facilitate the implementation of the program. The result implicates the benefit of intensifying such a strategy to engage, empower, and retain the education sectors in malaria elimination efforts and beyond.

Prevalence of Malaria and Associated Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice among Suspected Patients in Bahir Dar Zuria District, Northwest Ethiopia.

Background Control and prevention activities have brought substantial decline of malaria incidence in the last two decades in Ethiopia. However, lack of local data on the disease transmission and community knowledge, attitude, and practice about malaria are thought to reverse the trend of malaria in certain areas. Therefore, assessment of the prevalence and community awareness towards malaria plays pivotal role for the success of malaria control and prevention. Objective To assess malaria prevalence and knowledge, attitude, and practice about malaria among febrile patients in Bahir Dar Zuria district, Northwest Ethiopia. Methods A facility based crosssectional study was conducted from January to March 2020 among 149 febrile patients attending selected health centers in Bahir Dar Zuria district. Data about knowledge, attitude, and practice about malaria were collected using semistructured questionnaire. Blood sample from each participant was tested for Plasmodium species through malaria rapid diagnostic tests and blood film microscopy. Data were analyzed using statistical software for social sciences version 20. Results Among 149 participants, 22 (14.8%) were positive for Plasmodium infection at least by one diagnostic methods. Prevalence of P. falciparum and P. vivax was 3.4% and 10.1%, respectively, while that of mixed infection was 1.3%. From the total study participants, 29.5% have good knowledge, 77.2% have positive attitude, and 34.9% have good practice towards malaria. Statistically significant associations were observed on knowledge with age group (X2 = 10.377, P = 0.035), educational level (X2 = 15.075, P = 0.001), family size (X2 = 7.601, P = 0.022), attitude level and practice level. Participants with family size < 5 were 6.841 (95% CI: 2.570-18.206, P ≤ 0.001) times more likely to have negative attitude as compared to those with family size ≥ 5. Conclusions Prevalence of malaria in the study area was relatively high. Study participants had encouraging attitude; however, their knowledge and practice towards malaria were poor. Therefore, the existing malaria control activities should be supplemented with continuous health educations, aware the community, and ensure participation in the control and prevention activities.

The provider\u2019s checklist to improve pregnant women coverage by intermittent preventive malaria treatment in Mali: a pilot implementation study

BackgroundIntermittent preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy (IPTp) is a comprehensive treatment protocol of anti-malarial drugs administered to pregnant women to prevent malaria, started at the fourth pregnancy month, with at least three doses of sulfadoxine–pyrimethamine (SP), taken as directly observed treatment (DOT) every 30 days at intervals until childbirth, in combination with other preventive measures. This paper introduces feasibility and adoption concepts as implementation research outcomes (IRO), allowing after a defined intervention, to assess the coverage improvement by IPTp for women attending a reference district hospital in Mali. Specifically, the purpose is to evaluate the feasibility of a reminder tool (provider checklist) to enhance pregnant women’s adoption of information about IPTp-SP uptake as immediate and sustained women practices.MethodsThe implementation strategy used a reminder checklist about malaria knowledge and the recommended preventive tools. Then, the checklist feasibility was assessed during routine practices with the adoption-level about pregnant women’ knowledge. Quantitative data were collected through a questionnaire distributed to a non-probability purposive sampling targeting 200 pregnant women divided into two groups before and after the checklist intervention. In contrast, the qualitative data were based on in-depth face-to-face gynaecologists’ interviews.ResultsBoth the IROs (feasibility and adoption) were satisfactory. The gynaecologists agreed to the use of this checklist during routine practice with a recommendation to generalize it to other health providers. After a gynaecologist visit, a significant increase of the adoption-level about prior knowledge and preventive tools was noticed. A total of 83% of participants were not knowledgeable about malaria disease before checklist use versus 15% after. Similarly, coverage of women’s SP DOT rose from 0 to 59% after introducing the checklist and the IPTp-SP uptake after the visit was highly significant in the second group. The latter reached 95% of pregnant women with 4–8 months’ gestational age, that mostly respected all SP future visits as theoretically scheduled.ConclusionsGeneralizing such a checklist reminder will improve women’s knowledge about malaria prevention.

The Moderated Mediation Role of Malaria Knowledge and Household Income in the Relationship between Insecticide-Treated Mosquito Nets and Malaria

Objectives: The study was premised on the notion that insecticide-treated mosquito nets are positively related to malaria prevalence, and that knowledge mediates the relationship between insecticide-treated mosquito nets and malaria. Furthermore, household income was hypothesized to have a moderating effect on the direct and indirect relationships (through malaria knowledge) between insecticide-treated mosquito nets and the prevalence of malaria. Methods: The hypothesized relationships were examined using panel data collected from ten regions of Ethiopia during 2011-2015. Structural equation modeling and the random effect model were used to test the hypotheses. Statistical analyses were performed using Stata version 13.0. Results: The results were consistent with our proposed hypotheses, showing a significant relationship between the research variables. The findings suggest that malaria knowledge contributes to improving the relationship between insecticide-treated mosquito nets and malaria prevalence. A positively significant indirect effect (β = 0.47, p = 0.003) as well as direct effect (β = 0.28, p = 0.001) was revealed in the study. Furthermore, a positive impact of household income in strengthening the relationship between insecticide-treated mosquito nets and malaria through knowledge was reported, with a considerable value (β = 0.13, p = 0.000). The result also reveals differences in the outcome of malaria prevalence at different levels of household income category, where the indirect effect of insecticide-treated mosquito nets on malaria prevalence via malaria knowledge was positive and significant for households under the second-level income category (β = 0.15, p = 0.000). Conversely, the indirect effect of insecticide-treated mosquito nets on malaria prevalence via malaria knowledge was negative for the high level-income category (β = -0.14, p = 0.022). Besides, insignificant and negative relationships were reported for households under low-level income categories (β = 0.024, p = 0.539). Conclusion: The findings are potentially useful for the health sector to ensure success in infectious disease prevention and control, particularly malaria, and to explain how various factors contribute to the relationship.

Malaria knowledge, prevention practices, and insecticide-treated net ownership and use among foreign migrants: A survey in four malaria transmission districts of Yala Province, Southern Thailand

Malaria knowledge, prevention practices, and insecticide-treated net ownership and use among foreign migrants: A survey in four malaria transmission districts of Yala Province, Southern Thailand

Knowledge, perceptions and prevention of malaria among women in Sistan va Baluchestan, Islamic Republic of Iran

A questionnaire about malaria knowledge, beliefs and practices was given to a random sample of 2168 married women from rural and urban areas of Sistan va Baluchestan, Islamic Republic of Iran. The mean knowledge score of subjects was low at 5.5 (maximum 15.0). Few respondents (37.6%) knew that malaria was an important disease in the area and only 58.4% knew that malaria was transmitted by mosquitoes. Most subjects (69.4%) never used a mosquito net. Only 49.9% of rural and 73.8% of urban residents would seek care for fever and chills from the local health centre. Community health workers (behvarz) were the main source of information (29.5%) for rural women; the role of physicians in education was minimal. Subsequent health education must be tailored to the educational needs of the target population in this area.

Insecticide-treated net ownership, utilization and knowledge of malaria in children residing in Batoke\u2013Limbe, Mount Cameroon area: effect on malariometric and haematological indices

BackgroundInsecticide-treated nets (ITNs) are the most widely used interventions for malaria control in Africa. The aim of this study was to assess the ownership and utilization of ITNs and the knowledge of malaria and their effects on malariometric and haematological indices in children living in the Mount Cameroon area.MethodsA community-based cross-sectional study involving a total of 405 children aged between 6 months and 14 years living in Batoke–Limbe was carried out between July and October 2017. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to document demographic status, knowledge on malaria and ITN ownership and usage. Venous blood sample was collected from each child to determine the prevalence and intensity of parasitaemia by Giemsa-stained microscopy and full blood count by auto haematology analysis to obtain white blood cell (WBC) and red blood cell (RBC) counts, haemoglobin (Hb) level, haematocrit (Hct), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH) and mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC). A multilinear regression model was used to determine the relationship between haematological parameter as dependent variable and the independent variables.ResultsThe overall prevalence of parasitaemia, anaemia, knowledge about malaria, ITN ownership, usage and effective usage was 46.7%, 54.7%, 40.7%, 78.8%, 50.9% and 29.9%, respectively. The prevalence of parasitaemia was significantly higher (P < 0.001) in children who ineffectively utilized ITNs (54.9%) than effective users (27.3%). Having knowledge of malaria, negatively correlated with WBC counts (P = 0.005), but positively correlated with Hb levels (P < 0.001), RBC counts (P < 0.001), Hct (P < 0.001), MCV (P < 0.001) and MCH (P < 0.001). ITN use positively correlated with WBC counts (P = 0.005) but negatively with Hb levels (P = 0.004), RBC counts (P = 0.006), and MCH (P < 0.001). Meanwhile, parasitaemia negatively correlated with Hb levels (P = 0.004), RBC counts (P = 0.01), Hct (P = 0.04) and MCHC (P = 0.015).ConclusionThere is need for more sensitization on the benefits of using the ITNs to meet up with the intended and expected impact of the free distribution of ITNs.

A Study on Skin Microbiome, Knowledge and Control of Malaria among Volunteers in Akure– A Malaria Endemic Area, South-West, Nigeria

The study was carried out to determine the skin microbial diversity, knowledge and control of malaria among volunteers in Akure. Skin surface of one hundred and fourteen (114) consented participants were swabbed at different locations (elbow, neck, and knee) on the body and examined for the microbial diversities using standard microbiological methods. Socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge and awareness of malaria and mosquito control among the participants were evaluated with the use of multiple choice questioners. The highest number of the participant were within the age range 31-40 years 32(28.1%) followed by age range 11-20 and 21-30 years (17.5%). The number of male and female participants were 67(58.8%) and 47(41.2%) respectively. It was noted that all the participants have heard about malaria before while 60(52.6%) of them have been diagnosed of malaria in the last 6 months, 28.9% of the participants have their personal mosquito repellant as at the time of this investigation while 71.1% did not have mosquito repellant. Bacterial counts (Log10 CFU/cm2) ranged from 5.70±0.13 (neck) to 6.51±0.05 (knee) while the highest fungal counts (Log10 SFU/cm2) was observed in knee (2.80±0.07) followed by elbow (2.61±0.04) and neck (1.91±0.05). Ten (10) bacterial and nine (9) different fungal species were identified as skin microbiome, the most occurred bacterial genus in the skin of the neck, elbow and knee were Staphylococcus (49.36%), Bacillus (42.23%) and Staphylococcus (43.75%) respectively while the most occurred fungal genus were Aspergillus (36.54%), Aspergillus (50%) and Alternaria (18.92%) in the neck, elbow and knee skin respectively. The results of the study will be important for control of malaria in endemic area and the skin microflora isolated could be explored as mosquito repellant to reduce malaria infection in endemic areas.

Mosquito Bed Net Preferences and Efficacy in the Prevention of Gestational Malaria in Yaounde, Cameroon

Malaria prevention methods are diverse. Their availability sometimes does not guarantee effective usage and the use of each method in isolation may not provide the necessary results for the fight against malaria. Pregnant women are relatively more vulnerable and so it is recommended that they should be protected against malaria. Proper protection will require the use of long lasting insecticide treated mosquito bed nets as major malaria prevention method. This study was designed to find out malaria prevalence and factors influencing the use of mosquito bet nets among pregnant women of Biyem-Assi Health District. Information on the knowledge of malaria and use of malaria prevention methods, especially bed nets was collected from 302 pregnant women attending prenatal clinics in health institutions within the Biyem-Assi Health District of Yaounde VI subdivision using a pretested questionnaire. Thick smear was prepared for screening Plasmodium parasites. Analysis was done using EPI INFO version 16 (Chicago IL USA) and test of Chi 2. The study revealed that malaria prevalence was 48.5%. The shape of mosquito net had a significant (P = 0.05) effect on its use and a reduction on prevalence of malaria. The use of mosquito bed net was 47.7% while some of the women (52.3%) did not use it. Profession significantly influenced (P ˂ 0.04) the use of mosquito bed nets. Some of the women did not use mosquito bed nets for different reasons such as heat, forgetfulness, neglect, dislike, etc. The shape and color influenced the use, but this was not significant. Use of mosquito bed nets as major malaria prevention methods is not considered as priority by pregnant women. Sensitization campaigns by government and NGOs should reduce malaria prevalence during pregnancy and give a priority position to mosquito bed nets.

Knowledge and Perception of Malaria Among Hausa Married Men in Mokola Community of Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria

Malaria is endemic in most countries within the African continent and accounts for high morbidity and mortality in those countries. The Nigerian Government launched the National Malaria Strategic Plan 2014-2020 to address the high burden of malaria in the country. However, like the previous plans, this plan focused more on the vulnerable groups to malaria (i. e. pregnant women, children under five years old and people living with HIV/AIDS) as the target population for the interventions. Men being the heads of the family in most African societies make all health decisions for the family. Many interventions that did not involve men do not succeed because of the decision roles men play in the family. An understanding of the knowledge and perception of men regarding malaria causes prevention, and management would assist in developing interventions aimed at reducing morbidity and mortality related to the disease in the community as well as achieving the Sustainable Development Goal 3.3, which focuses on Ending the Epidemic of Malaria. Therefore, this study was designed to investigate the knowledge and perception of malaria among Hausa married men in Mokola community, Ibadan.The study was a descriptive cross-sectional survey. A three-stage sampling technique was used to recruit 302 Hausa married men based in Mokola; stratified into the Hausa and Yoruba (Okesu) axis, systematic random sampling was used to select the houses and balloting was used when a house had more than one married man. A validated semi-structured interviewer-administered questionnaire was used for data collection. Knowledge, perception and preventive practices were measured on a 22-point, 26-point and 14-point scales, respectively. Knowledge scores of 1≤13 and scores >13 were categorized as poor and good, respectively. Perception scores of 0≤16 and scores >16 were categorized as poor and good, respectively. Preventive practice scores of 0≤8 and scores ˃8 were categorized as poor and good, respectively. Data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics such as Chi-square test at p˂0.05 level of significance. Respondents’ mean age was 36.4 years, with trading accounting for 97.7% respondents’ occupation. Respondents whose monthly income range from N30,000-N75,000 accounted for 56.0%. Monogamy was practised by 75.5% with 73.2% having less than 5 children. Most respondents (76.2%) correctly defined malaria, with 22.2% obtaining information on malaria from the electronic media. Majority (99.3%) of respondents acknowledged to buying of drugs as one of the roles men should play in the treatment of malaria in their households. Most respondents, 89.1%, had good knowledge on definition of malaria and 97.0% had a good perception towards malaria management in their families with 51.6% of respondents reporting that a family member had malaria less than a month ago. Respondents who used ITN as prevention against malaria for their families accounted for 80.8%. Overall, 78.5% of respondents practised right preventive practice against malaria. The test of association between level of education and knowledge of malaria showed that only knowledge on symptoms of malaria was associated with the respondents’ level of education (p = 0.012). Test of association between level of education and perception of malaria revealed that perception of the respondents on causes of malaria was significantly associated with their level of education (p = 0.003). The test of association between respondents’ knowledge and perception on malaria revealed that knowledge and perception were significantly associated (p < 0.001), also the test of association between knowledge and the preventive practices of respondents revealed a statistically significant association exists between knowledge level and preventive practices against malaria (p= 0.028). Majority of respondents had good knowledge and perception on malaria and only few reported practicing malaria preventive measures involving spending money for their households. Interventions such awareness through the electronic media and community mobilization on malaria preventive measures focusing on men should be carried out in other communities.