Effect of health education on long lasting insecticidal nets utilization among mothers of under five children in Yamaltu Deba Lga, Gombe State, Nigeria

Background: Malaria remains a major global public health challenge. It is the leading cause of death among children below the age of five years and constitutes 10% of the continent's disease burden. The objective of this study was to determine effect of health education on utilization of long lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) among mothers of under five children in Yamaltu Deba LGA of Gombe state: Objective: This study was aimed at determining the effect of health education on LLINs utilization among mothers of under five children in Yamaltu Deba LGA of Gombe State. Method: The study was a community-based quasi-experimental intervention where 240 mothers of under five children were selected from two communities using a multi stage sampling technique. Health education was given in the study community and withheld in the control community. Data was collected from both communities before and after the intervention using an interviewer administered structured questionnaire. Data was analyzed using EPI-INFO 3.7.1 and Micro soft Excel software. Result obtained was presented using proportion, Chi-square test was used to assess the relationship between categorical variables and decision taken at p<0.05. Results: The mean ages of respondents in study and control communities were 28.9±6.2 and 27.9±6.7 years respectively. At pre-intervention, LLIN ownership was found to be 86.6% and 76.3% while its utilization was 45.4% and 38.1% in both communities. After health education intervention, (LLINs) improved significantly in study community from 42.9% to 89.9% compared with control community which increased from 33.9% to 60.9% and the difference was statistically significant(P=0.0001). Conclusion: This study concludes that health education significantly improved utilization. We recommended continuous health education on LLINs utilization in communities especially among mothers of under five children

Impact of using long-lasting insecticide-treated mosquito nets on malaria parasitaemia in the outskirts of Kisangani

Introduction: Notwithstanding the large-scale use of mosquito nets and peri and intra-residential sanitation measures to control malaria in DR Congo, malaria remains the first of the deadliest diseases. The purpose of this study was to measure the impact of mosquito net use on malaria parasitaemia. Subjects and methods: We carried out an analytical cross-sectional study from 21 September to 17 December 2015. Two hundred and fifty-two subjects aged ? 5 years, living in the villages of Madula and Wanierukula(30 and 58 km from Kisangani), using a mosquito net in good condition every day, or not at all, were included. Pregnant women and subjects who took antimalarial treatment in the last two months before the study were excluded. Results: The mean malaria parasitaemia in subjects who used anet was 439.2 parasites / ?l, less than half of those who did not use a net (895.5 parasites / ?l). On the other hand, in those who slept after 22:00, the use of the net did not influence their malaria parasitaemia. Conclusion: The use of the mosquito net reduces asymptomatic parasitaemia in half in those who use netsin the outskirts of Kisangani. It shows certain limits, among other things, a not insignificant malaria parasitaemia, even in the subjects who use it regularly and a low efficiency in the subjects who used it after 22h00. It deserves to be reinforced by other prevention methods such as the spraying of residual insecticides

Prevalence and socio-demographic factors associated with malaria infection among children under five years in Tanzania

Malaria is one among four main infectious diseases leading in death for the under-five children in Africa. This study aim to determine prevalence of malaria and social demographic factors related with children under-five in Tanzania. The study used cross section data extracted from Tanzania demographic health survey collected from 2015 to 2016. A sample of 9,322 under five children with malaria rapid diagnostic test results was obtained from 10,899 households. Complimentary log-log model was used to determine factors associated with malaria among children under five years. The study reveals that malaria prevalence increases with increase in age, varies with place and zone of residence, being highest to the rural areas compared to urban. Complementary log-log model estimates has also indicated that Western zone was having a highest mean occurrence of children with malaria compared to all other zones whereas Zanzibar (Adjusted Parameter estimates = -4.521, CI: -5.92,-3.13) was having a lowest mean occurrence compared to Western zone and all other zones. The risk of malaria among under-five children was positively related with family wealth index. The results show that malaria decreases with an increase in wealth. Other explanatory variables which include; child sex, mother's age, marital status and education level, as well as mosquito net ownership were not statistically significant associated with malaria at 5% level. Therefore children's age, place of residence, zone of residence and wealth index are significant predictors of malaria in Tanzania. Particular emphasis on education and interventions across the groups need to be prioritized for continued improvements in targeting high prevalent areas to reduce malaria risks, especially to the children under-five years

Scepticism towards Insecticide Treated Mosquito Nets for Malaria Control in Rural Community in North-Western Tanzania

Abstract:Despite existence of effective tools for malaria control; malaria continues to be one of the leading killer diseases especially among under-five year children and pregnant women in poor rural populations of Sub Saharan Africa. In Tanzania Mainland the disease contributes to 39.4 of the total OPD attendances. In terms of mortality; malaria is known to be responsible for more than one third of deaths among children of age below 5 years and also contributes for up to one fifth of deaths among pregnant women. This paper is based on a study conducted in a rural community along the shores of Lake Victoria in Mwanza region; North-Western Tanzania. The study explores reasons for scepticism and low uptake of insecticide treated mosquito nets (ITNs) that were promoted through social marketing strategy for malaria control prior to the introduction of long lasting nets (LLN). The paper breaks from traditional approach that tend to study low uptake of health interventions in terms of structural practical constraints - cost; accessibility; everyday priorities - or in terms of cognition - insufficient knowledge of benefits e.g. ignorance of public health messages. This paper has shown that; the majority of people who could afford the prices of ITNs and who knew where to obtain the insecticides did not necessarily buy them. This suggests that; although people tend to report costrelated factors as a barrier against the use of ITNs; there are other critical concerns at work. Without underestimating the practical factors; our study have recommended to consider critical examinations of those other concerns that hinder optimal utilization of ITN for malaria control; and the basis for those concerns

Rapid Increase in Ownership and Use of Long-Lasting Insecticidal Nets and Decrease in Prevalence of Malaria in Three Regional States of Ethiopia (2006-2007)

Following recent large scale-up of malaria control interventions in Ethiopia; this study aimed to compare ownership and use of long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLIN); and the change in malaria prevalence using two population-based household surveys in three regions of the country. Each survey used multistage cluster random sampling with 25 households per cluster. Household net ownership tripled from 19.6in 2006 to 68.4in 2007; with mean LLIN per household increasing from 0.3 to 1.2. Net use overall more than doubled from 15.3to 34.5; but in households owning LLIN; use declined from 71.7to 48.3. Parasitemia declined from 4.1to 0.4. Large scale-up of net ownership over a short period of time was possible. However; a large increase in net ownership was not necessarily mirrored directly by increased net use. Better targeting of nets to malaria-risk areas and sustained behavioural change communication are needed to increase and maintain net use

Millions of Nets : But are they being used?

The year 2010 was targetted at the 2000 Abuja Malaria Summit as the time when 80of vulnerable groups (pregnant women; children below 5 years of age) would be sleeping under insecticide-treated nets (ITNs).1 Subsequently the US President's Malaria Initiative (PMI) raised the bar to 85in its 15 focus countries.2 Most recently; the United Nations3 broadened the scope of ITN use and stressed that 2010 would be the year of Universal Coverage (UC). UC is variously interpreted in each endemic country and can mean one net distributed for each two people in the population to two nets per household. Ultimately it has been recognised that in order to reduce the burden of malariadisease; everyone should sleep under an ITN; or as now being used; a long-lasting insecticide-treated net (LLIN)

Assessment of distribution, knowledge and utilization of insecticide treated nets in selected malaria prone areas of Ethiopia

Background: Insecticide Treated Nets (ITNs) reduce malaria related mortality and morbidity significantly. Taking this into account; the Ethiopian Federal Ministry of Health has been distributing ITNs to malaria prone areas of the country through the support of the Global Fund. Objective: To study distributional coverage and assess the knowledge and utilization of insecticide treated nets in Ethiopia. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 17 malarious districts targeted for the first phase free distribution of long lasting insecticide treats nets (LLITNs) by the Ministry of Health in 9 administrative regions from October 2005 to September 2006. Region specific list of malarious districts where MOH distributed ITNs was used as the sampling frame for stratified random sampling of districts. One kebele (sub district) was selected from each of the selected districts using simple random sampling; and 15of the total households in the selected kebeles were selected using systematic random sampling. Upon obtaining informed consent from the household head or the oldest person in the household the questionnaire was administered and information was recorded. Data were double entered using EpiData version 3 and analyzed using SPSS version 12. Results: A total of 3131 households were visited; and 51.6of the respondents were males. The overall ITN distribution and utilization were 97.6and 81.6; respectively. The majority of households (53.2) owned a single net per family; highest in Dire Dawa (93.7) and lowest in Afar (17.6). Thirty eight percent of the respondents owned two nets per household. Most of the respondents (91.1) cited that ITNs are useful to control malaria either through prevention of mosquito bites (60) or prevention of the disease (39). Conclusion: ITN distribution; utilization; knowledge of users and its acceptability were good considering the recent introduction of the products. However; the person net ratio gap should be narrowed and emphasis needs to be given to vulnerable groups

School children's accessibility to insecticide-treated bednets in peri-urban Blantyre; Malawi

Malaria is a major cause of childhood morbidity and mortality in Malawi. Use of insecticide treated bed nets (ITNs) could reduce the burden of malaria. The objective of the study was to determine the general health status, and factors that influence reported access to ITNs among school children in a peri-urban area of Blantyre, Malawi. 454 school children participated in the study of which 253 (55.7%) were males and 201 (44.3%) females. Their mean age and range were 14 years (std. deviation, 1.4 years) and 10-19 years respectively. When asked about general health status questions, 263 (57.9%) reported ever having fallen ill while at school, 41.2% having ever came to school knowing they were unwell, and 40.7% of those that reported having fallen ill at school, categorized their illness as malaria. Regarding illness in the month preceding the study, 41.0% indicated that they had been ill. 40 (8.8%) participants reported that they were not allowed by their religious denominations to use medications when ill. 165 (36.3%) participants reported using bed nets themselves, 159 (35.0%) had a household member (other than parent) using nets and 254 (55.9%) had parent(s) sleeping under an ITN. Having someone in the household who uses an ITN was positively associated with ITN use while age of the participants was inversely associated with ITN access in the home. While more females (37.3%) reported using nets than males (35.6%), the difference was not statistically significant (p=0.7). It was concluded that many of the school children experience ill health in Ndirande, Malawi and malaria is perceived to be a common illness. While younger children seem to have higher access to ITNs, there seems to be no statistically significant gender differences in accessibility