AI Article Synopsis
- Malaria continues to be a significant public health issue in Cameroon, causing many hospitalizations and deaths despite various control efforts; adherence to national guidelines is crucial for effective strategies.
- A study involving 3,360 participants found that while knowledge about malaria was high, with 53.6% being knowledgeable, only 0.1% fully followed recommended control measures.
- The findings highlight the need for improved strategies to both educate the population and increase adherence to malaria control interventions in order to reduce infection rates and work towards elimination.
Article Abstract
Background: Despite a scale up of control interventions over the years, malaria remains a major public health and economic concern in Cameroon, contributing considerably to hospitalization and deaths. The effectiveness of control strategies depends on the extent of adherence by the population to national guidelines. This study assessed the influence of human knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to malaria and its control on the prevalence of malaria parasite infection, with implications for the elimination of the disease.
Methodology: This is a cross-sectional community and hospital-based study, covering the five ecological and three malaria transmission zones in Cameroon. A pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire was used to document socio-demographic and clinical parameters as well as knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward malaria control and management. Consenting participants were screened for malaria parasite with rapid diagnostic test (mRDT) of the peripheral blood. Association between qualitative variables was determined using the chi-square test and logistic regression analysis.
Results: A total of 3,360 participants were enrolled, 45.0% (1,513) of whom were mRDT positive, with 14.0% (451/3,216) and 29.6% (951/3,216) having asymptomatic parasitaemia and malaria, respectively. Although most participants knew the cause, symptoms, and control strategies, with 53.6% (1,000/1,867) expertly knowledgeable about malaria overall, only 0.1% (2/1,763) individuals were fully adherent to malaria control measures.
Conclusion: The risk of malaria in Cameroon remains high, with the population considerably knowledgeable about the disease but poorly adherent to national malaria control guidelines. Concerted and more effective strategies aimed at improving knowledge about malaria and adherences to control interventions are necessary to ultimately eliminate the disease.
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| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10173414 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1060479 | DOI Listing |
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