Net Usage Research Articles

Prevalent Occurrence of Plasmodium Falciparum Malaria in Pakistan

Background: In Pakistan Plasmodium falciparum has been on the rise over the last few decades. Objective: This study primarily focused upon finding out the prevalent occurrence of malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum in Pakistan. Methodology: This research analyzed different variables related to the respondents (n=209) of the study. The variables included age, occupation, education, patient’s visit to the hospital, transmission of malaria, prior treatment of the patient (if any), usage of long lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs), hygienic/unhygienic conditions and insecticidal spraying. Investigative analysis was purely based upon a questionnaire followed by the fundamental microscopic and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for assessing the disease index. Results: The results indicated that out of 209 respondents of the study, 100% tested positive for malaria whereas, only 179 (85.6%) cases were confirmed via PCR analysis and were chosen for further investigations. Males (67%) were found to be more prone for malarial infection. Respondents in the age group of 26 to 35 years were the most (43.5%) vulnerable to this infection. 32.9% laborers, as compared to any other occupation affected by plasmodium. About 77.6% of people had already been infected by malaria and were treated, but only 14.5 % people visited the hospital. In addition to this, merely 12.2% respondents had used LLINs and 2.23% of them had utilized insecticidal spray. Conclusion: Lack of awareness, selfmedication, unhygienic environment, unemployment, and political instability contributed to malarial transmissions. Keywords: Malaria, Plasmodium falciparum, Pakistan, Microscopy, PCR.

Two needs, one deed: optimising malaria outcomes through mangrove interventions in ghana

Uncertainties around deforestation influences on vector-borne disease transmission and prevalence means that varieties of forest management techniques must be included in evaluations of health management policies.This commentary presents ideas for improving malaria management policy in marginal communities, where both elimination of health inequalities and mangrove restoration are desirable interventions. It relies on results of novel application of Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) on causal relationships influencing malaria incidence in Ghana. Restoration-related mangrove conditions were investigated alongside the predominant vector control strategies.QCA findings show ecological conditions of temperature reduction, improved water quality, arrest of mangrove land conversion and presence of biological control agents combining diversely to amplify impacts of personal protective measures, especially insecticide treated net usage. The viewpoint is that ecosystem and health mangers must collaborate in capacity building, trend monitoring and creation of new knowledge to ensure that cross-sector benefits are sufficiently addressed in policy reforms. Further research required to reveal how mangrove presence and/or restoration affect malaria parasite prevalence and transmission dynamics in mangrove mosquitoes, to identify pathways for modifying and tailoring vector-control strategies to suit needs in mangrove communities.QCA could be a valuable causal inference technique for bringing clarity to nature-health relationships because it makes room for analysis of 'conjunctural' impacts of non-nature conditions.

Insecticide Treated Net Usage and Its Predictors among HIV Patients Attending an Antiretroviral Therapy Clinic in Ebonyi State, Nigeria.

Malaria prevention is important among HIV patients to mitigate its associated complications. This study explored the predictors of insecticide-treated net (ITN) usage among HIV patients attending an antiretroviral therapy (ART) clinic in Ebonyi state, Nigeria. It was a cross-sectional study that involved 297 patients who attended an ART clinic in Ebonyi State. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect relevant data which included perception of malaria prevention, ownership of ITN, condition of ITN, duration of use and ITN usage. The relationship between ITN usage and other variables was assessed using bivariate analysis and the predictors were determined using multivariate logistic regression. There were 64 (21.5%) males and 233(78.5%) females. Knowledge of the use of ITN (mean= 4.24 ±0.93) was rated better than knowledge of the use of mosquito repellent (mean = 3.79 ± 1.21) and knowledge of the use of protective clothes (mean= 3.86 ±1.26). 246 (83%) of the study population owned ITN. Only 48% (118) of those who had ITNs reported having optimal nets (nets without holes). 135 (45.5%) of the participants reported sleeping under the net every day in the past week. There was a significant relationship between ITN usage and knowledge of the use of ITN, ownership of ITN, duration of use and condition of nets. Predictors of usage of ITN were duration of use (AOR=0.386, 95%C.I for AOR=0.224-0.665) and condition of the nets (AOR=0.399, 95%C.I for AOR=0.226-0.706). Perception of malaria prevention was high among the study group. Ownership of ITN was high although many of the ITNs were not in good condition. Usage of ITN was largely determined by duration of use and good condition of nets. Yearly assessment of the condition of ITNs and replacement exercise of ITNs (2-3 years) at ART clinics to replace old and worn-out nets among HIV patients are recommended.

Effect of Electromagnetic Radiation from Mobile Phones on Auditory Brainstem Response.

Mobile phones are being used by around 70% of the global population. A simple non-invasive procedure to detect early impairment of the acoustic nerve and auditory pathway is by auditory brainstem response (ABR). It's a response to the sound stimulus generated from the brainstem in the form of electrical impulses. To determine the effect of long-term usage of mobile phones on auditory brainstem responses (ABRs). This Epidemiological, cross-sectional study was undertaken at a tertiary care hospital and includes 865 individuals aged between 18 to 45years using mobile phone for > 2years. Users were categorized into various groups according to the minutes of mobile usage per day, years of mobile usage and total duration of mobile phone use in dominant (mobile using) and non-Dominant (non-mobile using) ears. The changes in ABR were studied in each ear to ascertain the effect of EMF exposure due to chronic mobile phone use. Mean age of subjects was 27.01years. (M: F = 1.57:1.0). Range of mobile phone usage was from 4 to 900min/day, with mean as 85.94min/day. No significant differences were seen between dominant and non-dominant ears in regard to amplitudes of wave I, III and V, latencies of wave I and V and Inter peak latency (IPL) of wave I-III, III-V and I-V. No statistically significant difference for I-III, III-V and I-V IPL were found b/w two groups/ears except for usage of mobile phone for > 180min/day in wave I-V, usage for 0-4years in wave I-III and I-V and net hours usage for > 1500h in wave I-V. The mean IPL in all the waves increases with the increase in years of mobile usage and is maximum in all waves in > 12years mobile users. The long-term exposure to EMF does induce measurable changes in ABRs. Amplitude and IPLs of ABR were found comparable between the dominant and non-dominant ears using mobile phones, except for those using mobile usage for > 180min/day and with increasing years of usage of mobile phone. Therefore, prudent use of mobile phone should be encouraged for a shorter period of time and for essential purpose only.

The Threshold Effect of Overfishing on Global Fishery Outputs: International Evidence from a Sustainable Fishery Perspective

Using global fishery outputs from 62 countries during the period 2001–2020, this study applies the threshold panel data model of Hansen (2000) to empirically explore the nonlinear relations between the number of fishing vessels, fishers, and fishery production, with distinct overfishing stocks (overfishing) and fish caught by trawling or dredging techniques (trawling) as the threshold variables. Our findings show that the levels of fishery outputs could be increased by different combinations of primary factors, such as the number of fishing vessels and fishers. More specifically, when the number of fishing vessels and fishermen operating in countries with a high ratio of overfishing (overfishing > 4.4456) increased, their fishery outputs significantly increased as compared with countries with a low percentage of overfishing. As overfishing activities increase, they can result in significant shortages and imbalances of fishery resources, directly influencing fish biomass, biodiversity, and sustainability of fisheries, as well as making destructive fishing practices worse for marine ecosystems. Countries with a relatively high proportion of trawler net usage (trawling > 4.5516) would have significantly lower fishery outputs, as more fishing vessels are invested in them, compared with countries with a low proportion of trawling net use. This implies that trawler net usage is a non-sustainable fishing technique and harms fishery resources. The policy implications of this study indicate that taxing overfished species and implementing trawling regulations could significantly improve species richness and site-based abundance, thus helping to sustain fishery outputs.

Prevalence of Malaria Among Children Attending AlFaw Teaching Hospital, El-Gedaref State, Sudan

Introduction: In Sudan, malaria is still a major cause of death and the primary cause of death for children. A strategy for reducing and eradicating malaria may be developed with the help of knowledge regarding the prevalence of the disease among children. The goal of this study was to examine the prevalence of malaria in children at the AlFaw Teaching Hospital, as well as the risk factors and contributing factors. Methods: In this study, questionnaires were used to gather socioeconomic, demographic, and vector control data from the families of children aged 1 day to 17 years in order to detect Plasmodium falciparum and other spp. Age, gender, place of residence, usage of a vector control intervention, and mother’s educational degree are all associated with malaria positivity. Results: During June through July 2022, 400 children who visited AlFaw teaching hospital participated in a facility-based crosssectional survey. P. falciparum species made up 279 of the Plasmodium species (70%), and other species consisted of 121 (30%). Children who regularly spend the night outside and those who live in homes with stagnant water in the complex had higher probabilities of contracting malaria than those who regularly sleep under long-lasting insecticide-treated nets. Malaria diagnoses were more common in children of mothers with no formal education than in children of mothers with secondary education. Conclusion: Children who were patients at AlFaw teaching hospital had a significant malaria prevalence. In this study, a higher proportion of moderate parasitemia was also detected, and those with the highest prevalence of malaria were in the age group of 0–17 years. The main correlations with malaria were irregular usage of bed nets, night-out times, and parents not receiving malaria health education. To reduce the impact of malaria, the local government and other concerned organizations should put more emphasis on routine insecticide-treated net (ITN) use, infections linked to nighttime exposure to the outdoors, environmental management, and modification of attitudes toward malaria prevention and control through health education. Other actions that can be taken to decrease this impact include improving health management and planning, redistributing resources (including consultants) at the central and regional levels, and implementing appropriate training programs on the management of severe malaria at all levels.

Coverage and usage of insecticidal treated bed-nets for preventing malaria in four peri-urban communities of Ijebu-North, Southwest Nigeria

Sleeping under insecticidal treated bed-nets has been proven as an effective tool towards preventing mosquito bites and malaria but the burden of malaria cases seems to be on the increase. This study therefore assessed the limiting factors associated with ownership and usage of Long-Lasting Insecticidal Nets (LLINs) in four periurban communities in Ogun State, Nigeria. A total of 499 residents above age 15, were recruited and interviewed at the healthcare facilities in the selected communities using a well-structured questionnaire. Data obtained were analyzed using SPSS 25.0 version for descriptive and chisquare statistics, with significance set at 95%. Of the 499 residents, 72.1% (360/499) owned at least one LLIN, while only 56.7% (204/360) affirmed to sleeping under the bed net. Heat was a major reason for non-usage, 70/135 (51.9%) followed by harboring dust 40/135 (29.6%), skin irritation 16/135 (11.9%) and problem of hanging nets 2/135 (1.5%). There were significance differences between the challenges in the use of LLIN by the respondents and the peri-urban communities (p= 0.000). Majority of the respondents also reported LLIN abuse; 59/93 (63.4%) used them as window or door nets, 13/93 (13.9%) and 13/93 (13.9%) used them as fishing nets and as sieves and sponges respectively. Other uses included using it as a means of protection against rodents on the farm and as football goal nets. There was no significance difference between the abuse of LLINs by the respondents and the peri-urban communities (p= 0.209). The non-usage and abuse of LLIN will dampen the efforts targeted at controlling malaria in the southwestern region of Nigeria. It is therefore important that malaria control programmes incorporate health awareness campaigns targeted at promoting usage and disapproving the abuse of LLINs

Collateral Effects of Insecticide-Treated Nets on Human and Environmental Safety in an Epidemiological Model for Malaria with Human Risk Perception.

Malaria remains a major health problem in many parts of the world, including Sub-Saharan Africa. Insecticide-treated nets, in combination with other control measures, have been effective in reducing malaria incidence over the past two decades. Nevertheless, there are concerns about improper handling and misuse of nets, producing possible health effects from intoxication and collateral environmental damage. The latter is caused, for instance, from artisanal fishing. We formulate a model of impulsive differential equations to describe the interplay between malaria dynamics, human intoxication, and ecosystem damage; affected by human awareness to these risks and levels of net usage. Our results show that an increase in mosquito net coverage reduces malaria prevalence and increases human intoxications. In addition, a high net coverage significantly reduces the risk perception to disease, naturally increases the awareness for intoxications from net handling, and scarcely increases the risk perception to collateral damage from net fishing. According to our model, campaigns aiming at reducing disease prevalence or intoxications are much more successful than those creating awareness to ecosystem damage. Furthermore, we can observe from our results that introducing closed fishing periods reduces environmental damage more significantly than strategies directed towards increasing the risk perception for net fishing.

Trends in inequality in maternal and child health and health care in Uganda: Analysis of the Uganda demographic and health surveys

BackgroundUganda has made great strides in improving maternal and child health. However, little is known about how this improvement has been distributed across different socioeconomic categories, and how the health inequalities have changed over time. This study analyses data from Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) conducted in 2006, 2011, and 2016 in Uganda, to assess trends in inequality for a variety of mother and child health and health care indicators.MethodsThe indicators studied are acknowledged as critical for monitoring and evaluating maternal and child health status. These include infant and child mortality, underweight status, stunting, and prevalence of diarrhea. Antenatal care, skilled birth attendance, delivery in health facilities, contraception prevalence, full immunization coverage, and medical treatment for child diarrhea and Acute Respiratory tract infections (ARI) are all health care indicators. Two metrics of inequity were used: the quintile ratio, which evaluates discrepancies between the wealthiest and poorest quintiles, and the concentration index, which utilizes data from all five quintiles.ResultsThe study found extraordinary, universal improvement in population averages in most of the indices, ranging from the poorest to the wealthiest groups, between rural and urban areas. However, significant socioeconomic and rural-urban disparities persist. Under-five mortality, malnutrition in children (Stunting and Underweight), the prevalence of anaemia, mothers with low Body Mass Index (BMI), and the prevalence of ARI were found to have worsening inequities. Healthcare utilization measures such as skilled birth attendants, facility delivery, contraceptive prevalence rate, child immunization, and Insecticide Treated Mosquito Net (ITN) usage were found to be significantly lowering disparity levels towards a perfect equity stance. Three healthcare utilization indicators, namely medical treatment for diarrhea, medical treatment for ARI, and medical treatment for fever, demonstrated a perfect equitable situation.ConclusionIncreased use of health services among the poor and rural populations leads to improved health status and, as a result, the elimination of disparities between the poor and the wealthy, rural and urban people.RecommendationIntervention initiatives should prioritize the impoverished and rural communities while also considering the wealthier and urban groups.

Malaria Knowledge-Base and Prevalence of Parasitaemia in Asymptomatic Adults in the Forest Zone of Ghana.

To determine the levels of knowledge, awareness and perception of malaria, and to determine the infection status among asymptomatic adults in selected districts. This descriptive, cross-sectional study recruited 849 participants from seven districts in the malaria meso-endemic forest zone of Ghana. Questionnaires were administered to elicit responses from asymptomatic adults on malaria awareness, knowledge and insecticide-treated net (ITN) usage. Capillary blood samples were taken from study subjects for malaria Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) and microscopy. Descriptive statistics was used to analyse quantitative and qualitative data. Ninety-eight percent of participants were aware of malaria, 94.0% owned ITNs but only 35.5% consistently used them. Also, 56.7% correctly associated malaria with mosquitoes and 54.5% identified stagnant water as the breeding site. Twelve percent (12.2%) and 13.1% of the subjects tested positive for malaria via RDT and microscopy, respectively. Of the 111 confirmed malaria cases, 107 had Plasmodium falciparum infections, two had Plasmodium ovale infections and there were two Plasmodium falciparum-Plasmodium ovale mixed infections. Awareness and knowledge of malaria was satisfactory but this did not translate into mosquito avoidance behaviour due to deep-seated perceptions and myths. With the prevalence of asymptomatic parasitaemia observed, this reservoir of infection could be dislodged with appropriate health education targeted at women in the rural communities.

Occupancy-equivalent, operative temperature control for an energy-saving operation of direct electric, low-capacity heating systems

Conventional heat supply systems for indoor environments merely show annual efficiencies of net energy usage for room heating of 70% to 80% due to an inertia-related oversupply in unoccupied periods. In this study, a new method for increasing this efficiency is introduced. Low-capacity, direct electric heating systems are used to realize an occupancy-equivalent heating concept which only heats the room during occupancy. Using a fast-responding infrared sensor, these heating systems can be controlled by operative temperature, preventing significant oversupplies whilst rapidly heating up a space. A model-based algorithm enables a setback of the room temperature in unoccupied periods while guaranteeing a predefined temperature in the beginning of occupied periods. Thus, the control algorithm enables a utility-equivalent heating operation compared to a non-setback operation. During a first parameter study, net energy savings of up to 21% could be realized due to the new control method compared to a conventional schedule-based operation. The reheating factor of the heat supply system is identified as the main indicator affecting the energy saving potential in occasionally occupied rooms.

Study on Integration of Retired Lithium-Ion Battery With Photovoltaic for Net-Zero Electricity Residential Homes

Abstract The behavior of a retired lithium-ion battery (LIB) from its first-life in an electric aircraft (EA) to its second-life in a solar photovoltaic (PV) system for a net-zero electricity residential home is studied. The first part of this study presents the design and sizing of a battery energy storage system (BESS), made from retired LIBs, to store a portion of the PV generation for a typical home in Ohio. The home is connected to the grid, but the net electricity usage from the grid in one year is zero. The purpose of the BESS is to peak shaving, power arbitrage, reduce the home dependency on the grid, and increase the economic benefits. The sizing is determined based on the hourly data of the PV system generation, ambient temperature, irradiation, and home demand electricity. In the second part of this study, the retired LIB degradation rate and its remaining useful life in the BESS are estimated using an adopted empirical LIB model. The model includes the capacity-fade for both first-life and second-life of the LIB under various duty cycles. It is shown that the retired LIB from its first-life is still suitable to be used in the PV grid-tied battery (PVGB) system for another 10 years. The results of this study can potentially reduce the LIB cost for electric vehicles (EVs) and EAs because the retired LIBs from these applications still have value to serve for other applications such as PVGB systems for residential homes.

Grid-connected hybrid PV-wind system simulation in urban Java

This research proposes optimizing the energy harvesting system based on solar and wind energy, using the enhanced PV-Wind Turbine hybrid power grid to supply electrical energy somewhere in the city of Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The analysis was conducted by researching the possibilities of wind and solar energy and gathering data from numerous sources. To examine the available data and the economic feasibility of the proposed hybrid power system, the Hybrid Optimization Model for Electric Renewable (HOMER) program was employed. The scheme was simulated and optimized using the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's Hybrid Optimization System for Electric Renewables model (NREL). Various analyses are examined, such as Net Present Value (NPV), Energy Expenditure, Energy Output, Usage, and Excess Energy created by each component of the resultant system. The results gained via the installation of this hybrid system are fairly excellent due to monthly production optimization and minimal maintenance costs with potential investments.

Multilevel Modelling of Individual, Community and Regional Level Factors Associated with Insecticide-Treated Net Usage among Pregnant Women in Ethiopia.

Background: Pregnant women who are infected with malaria usually have more severe symptoms and negative health outcomes than women who are not pregnant, with higher rates of miscarriage, intrauterine demise, premature delivery, low-birth-weight neonates, and neonatal death. Based on evidence from the 2016 Ethiopia Demographic and Health Survey, this study assessed the variation in insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) usage and its associated factors among pregnant women in Ethiopia. Methods: Data from a total of 1122 women who were pregnant at the time of the survey were included in the final analysis. Bivariate and multilevel analyses were conducted. Multilevel modeling with fixed and random coefficients was used to estimate the variation in pregnant women’s ITNs usage across communities (residence areas) and regions of Ethiopia. Results: Out of the total 1122 pregnant women, 58.37% slept under a net and 41.63% did not sleep under nets. Significant variations were observed in pregnant women’s ITNs usage across communities (residence areas) and regions of Ethiopia, with between variations in pregnant women’s ITNs usage across communities (residence areas) and regions. In addition, the region, place of residence, wealth index, educational level, and age of the women as well as whether they believed that mosquito bites cause malaria were significant factors in pregnant women’s usage of ITNs. Pregnant women in Ethiopia had moderate usage of ITNs with varied risk factors at the individual, community, and regional levels. Conclusion: Based on the factors identified, there is a need to implement and/or strengthen programs (e.g., regular sensitization) that intensify high coverage of ITNs for effective malaria prevention in Ethiopia, especially among pregnant women who do not use ITNs.

Malaria Burden and Associated Risk Factors in an Area of Pyrethroid-Resistant Vectors in Southern Benin.

ABSTRACT.Malaria remains the main cause of morbidity and mortality in Benin despite the scale-up of long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs), indoor residual spraying, and malaria case management. This study aimed to determine the malaria burden and its associated risk factors in a rural area of Benin characterized by high net coverage and pyrethroid-resistant mosquito vectors. A community-based cross-sectional survey was conducted in three districts in southern Benin. Approximately 4,320 randomly selected participants of all ages were tested for malaria using rapid diagnostic tests within 60 clusters. Risk factors for malaria infection were evaluated using mixed-effect logistic regression models. Despite high population net use (96%), malaria infection prevalence was 43.5% (cluster range: 15.1–72.7%). Children (58.7%) were more likely to be infected than adults (31.2%), with a higher malaria prevalence among older children (5–10 years: 69.1%; 10–15 years: 67.9%) compared with young children (< 5 years: 42.1%); however, young children were more likely to be symptomatic. High household density, low socioeconomic status, young age (< 15 years), poor net conditions, and low net usage during the previous week were significantly associated with malaria infection. Malaria prevalence remains high in this area of intense pyrethroid resistance despite high net use. New classes of LLINs effective against resistant vectors are therefore crucial to further reduce malaria in this area.

Multi-Objective Crop Planting Structure Optimisation Based on Game Theory

To realise the ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin and transition from extensive utilisation to intensive conservation of agricultural water, a multi-objective crop planting structure optimisation model was established. The model enabled highly efficient crop planting in terms of net income with high yield and low consumption of water. Thereafter, the game algorithm was used to balance different requirements of each objective function under each constraint, both competitively and cooperatively, to obtain an optimal crop planting structure. Finally, the proposed model and analysis method were demonstrated and verified using the Xiaolangdi south bank irrigation area as an example. The results indicated that using the competitive game algorithm produced a superior crop planting structure in terms of high net income, high yield, and low water usage, suggesting that the relationships between game players and objective functions should be considered in designing the optimisation model. Thus, the proposed approach provides a theoretical basis for the sustainable development of the agricultural industry by realising the intensive utilisation of water resources in a particular irrigation area.

Effect of School-Based Educational Interventions on the Knowledge of Malaria and Dengue Among Higher Secondary School Children in Chennai, India: A Pre and Post-intervention Study.

Introduction: School children are a means to reach and sensitize the community on the prevention of seasonal diseases such as malaria and dengue. The current study aims to determine the impact of school-based educational interventions on the knowledge of students toward the prevention and control of malaria and dengue in higher secondary schools.Methods: This pre- and post-intervention study was conducted in three higher secondary schools in Zone IV, North Chennai, from September to December 2021. A total of 284 students in the age group of 13-17 years participated in the study. School-based educational interventions were delivered through PowerPoint-assisted lectures, participatory group activities, and demonstration of mosquito larvae and their control. The impact of the interventions as the change in knowledge level was analyzed using McNemar’s test, with a p-value of <0.05.Results: Educational interventions led to the improvement in knowledge about malaria symptoms, such as fever (43.7% to 76.1%; p<0.001), chills (45.1% to 82.4%; p<0.001), and headache (46.1% to 86.6%; p<0.001), and the knowledge of Aedes mosquito bites as the cause of dengue transmission enhanced (41.9% to 92.2%; p<0.001). Similarly, there was an increase in knowledge on the identification of vector mosquito breeding sites inside the house (11.9% to 67.9%; p<0.001) and outside the house (10.9% to 69.7%; p<0.001) and mosquito net usage (21.5% to 76.1%; p<0.001) after the interventions.Conclusion: School-based educational interventions had a significant impact on enhancing the knowledge on the prevention and control of malaria and dengue among school children. Involving school children can strengthen existing malaria and dengue prevention and control strategies in endemic areas.

A comparison of malaria prevention behaviours, care-seeking practices and barriers between malaria at-risk worksite migrant workers and villagers in Northern Shan State, Myanmar—a mixed method study

BackgroundMigrant populations are at an increased risk of exposure to malaria due to their nature of work and seasonal migration. This study aimed to compare malaria prevention behaviours and care-seeking practices among worksite migrant workers and villagers in the malaria-at-risk areas of Eastern Myanmar close to the China border.MethodsA mixed method study was conducted in March 2019. The malaria-at-risk worksites in the four targeted townships, and villages located the nearest to these worksites were approached. Key stakeholders, such as worksite managers and village leaders, were interviewed.ResultsA total of 23 worksites, which employed 880 migrants and 447 locals, and 20 villages, which were homes for 621 migrants and 9731 locals, were successfully interviewed. Regarding malaria prevention behaviours, sleeping under a bed net was common among both worksites (74%) and villages (85%). In contrast, insecticide-treated nets/long-lasting insecticidal nets (ITN/LLIN) usage was much lower in the worksites than in the villages (39% vs 80%). Regarding care-seeking practices for febrile illness, self-medication was a popular choice for both worksite workers and villagers owing to the easy availability of western medicine. Moreover, local-belief-driven traditional practices were more common among villagers. For occasions in which fever was not relieved, both would seek health care from rural health centres, private clinics, or public hospitals. As for barriers, villagers mostly cited language barriers, which often lead to misunderstanding between health providers and them. In contrast, most of the worksites cited logistics issues as they were in remote areas with devastated road conditions and the routes to formal health facilities were not secure due to frequent armed conflicts.ConclusionThis study demonstrated that site-workers and villagers had different malaria prevention behaviours and care-seeking practices even though they resided in the same geographic area. Hence, it is important to recognize such differences for more effective intervention approaches.

Influence of Vector Control and Chemotherapy Interventions on Treatment Outcomes and Parasite Incidence in Artemether Combined Therapies Treated Populations of Kisii County, Kenya

Introduction: Malaria remains the major vector borne disease in the world. Currently Kenya the ministry of health has scaled up interventions with chemotherapy and vector control standing out as a major strategy. Therefore, this study examined the influence of vector control and chemotherapy interventions on the treatment outcomes in Kisii County.&#x0D; Methods: Multi-stage random sampling was used for this study. The study was conducted from February 2021 to June 2021. Malaria-positive 275 participants were recruited into the study, treated with ACTs and followed for a period of 28 days at specified follow up days for parasite diagnosis. Occurrence of malaria clinical symptoms on the patients was also conducted. Molecular analysis was done by characterizing Merozoite proteins (MSP2) on the samples showing parasite recurrence. A Questionnaire was administered to determine the utilization of drugs for malaria treatment prior to this study and the usage of vector control after patient treatment with ACTs. Meanwhile, emphasis was laid on intervention strategies such as the use the usage of insecticide-treated nets (ITNs), Indoor residual spraying and chemotherapeutic practices as recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).&#x0D; Results: Early treatment failure was reported among 27(12%) respondents, late clinical failures 20(8%), late parasitological failures 11(5%), and adequate clinical and parasitological outcomes 173(75%).Chemotherapeutic practices influencing treatment outcomes included; previous self-medication (OR=0.417; 95% CI: 0.153-1.385; p=0.035), ability of previously finishing doses (OR=0.328; 95% CI: 0.168-0.941; p=0.003,) and Frequency of previous antimalarial usage (OR=3.259; 95% CI: 1.054-4.721; p=0.004). While vector control interventions influencing treatment outcomes included; usage of indoor residual spraying (OR=0.408; 95% CI: 0.132-0.682; p=0.002), sleeping under the mosquito net (OR=0.218; 95% CI: 0.119-0.909; p=0.025,) and mosquito net treatment (OR=0.262; 95% CI: 0.092-0.823; p=0.003).With the molecular analysis detecting 10 samples with parasite recrudescence.&#x0D; Conclusions: Based on these findings, Antimalarial usage practices prior to current usage of ACTs and vector control after treatment remain important predictor factors for treatment outcomes.

The role of social marketing theory in assessing insecticide-treated net usage intentions among pregnant women in Ghana

PurposeDespite the efforts to improve the usage of insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) among pregnant women in endemic malaria countries like Ghana, its usage still remains low. Therefore, this study aims to assess the intention to use ITNs and actual usage behaviour among pregnant women in Ghana using the integrated model of behaviour prediction (IMBP) and explore factors preventing its usage.Design/methodology/approachA structured questionnaire was administered to 310 respondents using a convenience sampling technique, and the data were analysed using multiple regression. Exploratory data collected through an interview guide was analysed using Kvale and Brinkman’s (2015) five-step approach.FindingsThe findings indicate a significantly positive association between intention to use ITN and actual usage of ITN among pregnant women in Ghana. Attitude and normative beliefs were the most significant predictors of intention to use ITNs among pregnant women. The result further shows that despite the generally positive perception of the effectiveness of the ITN in malaria prevention and positive intention to use it, its actual usage remains low because of discomfort (primarily associated with heat, irritation, heat rashes, suffocation and vomiting, size and design, reactions to ITN’s chemicals and misconceptions about ITNs causing cancer. In this study, the implications are discussed.Originality/valueThis study applied the IMBP to ITNs usage intention among pregnant women in a developing market context and found the model to predict ITN usage intention effectively.