MALARIA CONTROL INTERVENTION AND ITS UPTAKE BY THE COMMUNITY IN DISTRICT KILLASAIFULLAH, PAKISTAN

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Malaria is responsible for huge morbidity, mortality and enormous economic losses worldwide, especially in the poor and developing countries. Children under the age of five years and pregnant women bear the major burden of the disease. In Pakistan, malaria has been a major public health problem, threatening million of people due to prevailing socioeconomic conditions and epidemiological situation. The estimated annual number of malaria cases in Pakistan has been reported as 1.6 million. Objective of this study was to assess the community knowledge about sign and symptoms, risk factors and health seeking behavior with regard to malaria, to assess the adaptation by the households for preventive measures against malaria and to assess the availability of inputs (Microscopes, anti malarial RDTs) at the health facility level. 
METHODS: This was a descriptive Cross Sectional Study conducted between May-August 2013. Sample size calculated was 422 persons. A total of 4 villages were selected for the study through simple random sampling from Union Council Saddar. There are only 02 health facilities in the Union Council (an EPI Centre and a private clinic) therefore, data on patient (number of patients treated for malaria in the last one year) and inputs (availability of anti malarial drugs, bed nets, microscopes, slides, RDTs and their stock out position) was collected from these two facilities only. Data was entered and analyzed using SPSS version 17. Descriptive analysis was done. Frequency and percentages of different variables were calculated and presented through tables. 
RESULTS: Majority of the respondents (75.4%) knew about malaria and most of them heard about it from family members (39%). Most (48%) of the respondents knew that malaria is transmitted to humans by mosquitoes , still 30% didn’t know about it. Among the family members who slept under the LLIN included, fathers (13%), mothers (9%), children over the age of five years (7.3 %), and children under 5 years of age (5.4% ). 
CONCLUSION: The overall knowledge about malaria prevention and control was generally low, and it did not translate into good practice behaviors, hence the uptake of control interventions by the community was sub-optimal. 
KEYWORDS: Malaria, Mosquito nets, Pregnant women.