Background: Malaria is a leading cause of paediatric morbidity and mortality in Uganda. More than half of febrile children in rural areas initially seek care at private clinics and drug shops. These shops are generally unregulated and the quality of clinical care is variable, with the potential for misdiagnosis and the development of drug resistance. There is thus an urgent need to identify rural drug shops and coordinate their malaria treatment efforts with those of the public sector. The objective of the study was to identify all drug shops in the Bugoye sub-county of Western Uganda and assess their anti-malarial dispensing practices.

Methods: This study is a cross-sectional survey of drug shops in a rural sub-county of Western Uganda. In the first phase, shop locations, licensing and shopkeeper's qualifications, and supply and pricing of anti-malarials were characterized. In the second phase, the proportion of anti-malarials dispensed by private drug shops was compared to public health facilities.

Results: A total of 48 drug shops were identified. Only one drug shop (1 of 48, 2%) was licensed with the sub-county's records office. The drug shops stocked a variety of anti-malarials, including first-line therapies and less effective agents (e.g., sulfadoxine/pyrimethamine). Almost all drug shops (45 of 48, 94%) provided parenteral anti-malarials. Of the 3900 individuals who received anti-malarials during the study, 2080 (53.3%) purchased anti-malarials through the private sector compared to 1820 (46.7%) who obtained anti-malarials through the public sector. Drug shops were the primary source of parenteral anti-malarials. Inadequate dosing of anti-malarials was more common in drug shops.

Conclusions: Drug shops are major sources of parenteral anti-malarials, which should be reserved for cases of severe malaria. Strengthening malaria case management and incorporating drug shops in future interventions is necessary to optimize malaria control efforts in the sub-county, and in similarly endemic regions.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6106765PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12936-018-2454-7DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

drug shops
48
parenteral anti-malarials
16
drug
15
shops
13
western uganda
12
anti-malarials
11
private sector
8
sector drug
8
public sector
8
sub-county western
8

Similar Publications

Detection and Whole-Genome Analysis of tigecycline resistant Escherichia coli in poultry and meat samples in Türkiye.

Poult Sci

December 2024

Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province, PR China. Electronic address:

Article Synopsis
  • The study examines the presence of tigecycline resistant Enterobacterales (TRE) in the gut of healthy birds and in meat samples, revealing a significant prevalence in poultry.
  • Out of 960 samples, 19.21% from chicken farms and 13.3% from turkey farms tested positive for TRE, with specific strains of E. coli identified carrying the tet(X4) gene, indicating multi-drug resistance.
  • Findings suggest that food-producing animals could be a source of TRE for humans, highlighting the need for active surveillance to mitigate public health risks related to these resistant bacteria.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Microbial contamination in food products such as pastries, poses a significant public health concern due to the potential risks of foodborne infection and outbreak, Therefore, to prevent these infections, it is essential to investigate the frequency and extent of microbial contamination as well as the level of drug resistance in pastries. Due to this issue, our study aimed to assess the microbial diversity and the drug susceptibility patterns of microbial pollutants in pastry shops in Markazi province, Iran.

Methods: The study involved collecting 120 pastry samples from 30 pastry shops in Markazi province, Iran.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

From October 2020 to February 2021, a total of 95 retail chicken meat products from 39 retail meat shops in Tokyo Metropolis and Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, were collected and examined for the prevalence of Salmonella to assess public health implications. If a sample tested positive for Salmonella, a quantitative analysis was performed using the three-tube most probable number (MPN) method. Of 95 retail chicken meat products, Salmonella was isolated from 30 samples (31.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Current Advances in Behavioral Addictions: From Fundamental Research to Clinical Practice.

Am J Psychiatry

December 2024

General Psychology-Cognition, Faculty of Computer Science, University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany (Brand, Antons, Wegmann); Center for Behavioral Addiction Research, Center for Translational Neuro- and Behavioral Sciences, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany (Brand, Antons, Wegmann); Erwin L. Hahn Institute for Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Essen, Germany (Brand, Antons); Department of Psychology, University of Montreal, Montreal (Bőthe); Interdisciplinary Research Center on Intimate Relationship Problems and Sexual Abuse (CRIPCAS), Montreal (Bőthe); College of Education, Psychology, and Social Work, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia (Demetrovics, King); Institute of Psychology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest (Demetrovics); Center of Excellence in Responsible Gaming, University of Gibraltar, Gibraltar (Demetrovics); School of Life and Medical Sciences, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, UK (Fineberg); Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust, Welwyn Garden City, UK (Fineberg); University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Cambridge, UK (Fineberg); Department of Clinical Psychology, Bellvitge University Hospital, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), Barcelona (Jimenez-Murcia); Ciber Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Barcelona (Jimenez-Murcia); Psychoneurobiology of Eating and Addictive Behaviors Group, Neurosciences Program, IDIBELL, Barcelona (Jimenez-Murcia); Department of Clinical Sciences, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona (Jimenez-Murcia); Psychology Services of the University of Barcelona, Barcelona (Jimenez-Murcia); Instituto de Investigación, Transferencia e Innovación, Universidad Internacional de La Rioja, La Rioja, Spain (Mestre-Bach); Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Padua, Italy (Moretta); Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Hannover Medical School, Hanover, Germany (Müller); Departments of Psychiatry, Neuroscience, and Child Study and Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT (Potenza); Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling, Wethersfield, CT (Potenza); Connecticut Mental Health Center, New Haven, CT (Potenza).

Article Synopsis
  • Gambling disorder is the only recognized behavioral addiction in DSM-5, while Internet gaming disorder is noted for further research; other potential disorders include compulsive sexual behavior, compulsive shopping, and social media issues.
  • These disorders are clinically relevant and often coexist with conditions like depression and anxiety, with validated diagnostic tools available but no approved medications for treatment.
  • Cognitive-behavioral therapy shows the most promise, highlighting the need for active screening and public health efforts, along with further research into treatment methods that combine various therapeutic approaches.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Veterinary antibiotics are essential for maintaining animal health and welfare, however, small-scale farmers in Malawi face challenges in accessing them due to limited availability, affordability, and long distances to rural drug retailers.

Methods: This study mapped the veterinary antibiotic distribution chain, examined the governance structure of the chain, and analyzed access and usage practices among stakeholders in Malawi. Data were collected through focus group discussions ( = 15), key informant interviews ( = 6) and individual interviews ( = 189).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!