Community’s Perceptions of Malaria and the Underlying Interventions for its Management and Control In Jimma Town, Oromiya National Regional State
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Date
2008-07
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Abstract
Malaria is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in Oromiya National
Regional state. Its management and control depends on many factors, some of which
have not been studied at the level of urban community. The objective of this study is to
identify what households in Jimma Town community perceive to be the cause and
symptoms of malaria and their treatment and control perceptions for malaria. A crosssectional
study design was utilized employing both quantitative and qualitative data
collection methods. A simple random cluster sampling procedure was used to select the
ganda, after which the sample households were proportionally allocated to each ganda.
Finally, interviews were conducted with 422 heads or representative of households. The
study was conducted between March and April 2008. The study findings indicate that the
community has multiple aetiologies for malaria. Of the 422 heads of households
interviewed, 374 (88.6 percent) indicated mosquito as the cause of the disease. Other
aetiological beliefs included: 269(70.4 percent) exposure to unhygienic conditions and
129(30.4 percent) cold weather as causes of malaria. And only about 3.8 percent
indicated witchcraft. Many of the respondents (91.5 percent) could identify malaria by
several correct symptoms. In the treatment of malaria, various health resources such as
public health facilities, over-the counter medications, private clinics and herbal
medicines are used. For first choice of care, many households used private health
facilities. However, for poor households the other forms of treatment especially Jimma
malaria control center and Jimma University Hospital seem to have been preferred. A
recent strategy of malaria treatment, Home Management of Malaria, has lacked
community support for its full implementation. For most 330(88 percent) of households
the use of insecticide treated bed net was mentioned as the most widely practiced
preventive method for malaria. Among these only 71.1 percent the households own the
net currently. Weak intersectoral linkage, poverty, population movement and poor
environmental management appear to be factors worsening malaria management and
control in the Town. Thus, understanding community perceptions of aetiology, symptom
identification and treatment and control of malaria is an important step towards the
control of the disease
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Keywords
Malaria