Assessment of the Willingness to Buy and the Use of Insecticide Treated Nets (ITN) among Caregivers of Under-Five Children Attending Immunization Clinics in a Private Tertiary Hospital in Plateau State, Nigeria

Introduction: Malaria control becomes effective if countries adopt the World Health Organization & Global Malaria Programme (WHO/GMP) recommendation with includes diagnosis of malaria cases and treatment with effective medicines, distribution of insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) and indoor residual spraying (IRS). Ownership and utilization of mosquito nets for malaria prevention is still sub-optimal with only 62% ownership of at least one mosquito net and only 37% of children using the nets. This seeks to investigate the willingness to buy and the use ITN use among caregivers of under five children attending immunization clinic in Bingham University Teaching Hospital. Methodology: A descriptive cross sectional study design carried out among 242 caregivers of all ages and sex of under-five children attending immunization clinic at Bingham University Teaching Hospital (BHUTH) in Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State, Nigeria. A Simple Random Sampling technique was used to select respondents. Findings: Two hundred and sixteen 216 (89.3%) of the children use ITNs, majority of the children 190 (78.5%) slept under ITN the night before the interview, 226 (93.4%) owned ITNs, 156 (64.5%) got the ITNs for free while 60 (24.8%) paid for it and majority 172 (71.1%) of the children use ITN every night. Tertiary education, having much younger children (less than 3 years) and perception as a means of malaria prevention were associated with higher use of ITNs. Majority 220 (90.9%) the caregivers were willing to buy ITN and also recommend ITN to others. Caregivers who were traders and civil servants were willing to buy ITN than farmers, tertiary education, having children 1 - 3 months old, and owning 3 or more ITNs was associated with willingness to buy ITNs. Conclusion: About 90% of the children of caregivers use ITNs and over three quarters slept under ITN the night before the interview and majority use it every night. Majority the caregivers were willing to buy ITN and also recommend ITN to others. The government and health care workers should continue to encourage and enlighten caregivers to keep using ITNs for their children and sustain mass free distribution of ITNs to improve ownership and utilization of ITNs.

Factors Affecting Utilisation of Insecticide Treated Net among Household with Children Less than Five Years in Hodan District, Mogadishu, Somalia

Malaria is hyper-endemic in Somalia and remains one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality, especially vulnerable groups such as old people, pregnant women, and children under five years. The prevalence of the disease is the highest along the rivers, settlements in southern Somalia, with artificial water reservoirs, where there is a year-round transmission. About 80% of malaria cases in Somalia occur in the Shebelle and Juba river basins. Outside of the malaria-endemic areas, it is estimated that 87% of Somalia is at risk of being exposed to malaria epidemics. According to a recent KAP (knowledge, attitude, and practices) survey, less than 10% of the households have Insecticide-treated mosquito net. This cross-sectional study was conducted to describe the factors affecting utilization of Insecticide-treated net among households with children under 5 years in Hodan district. The study was all adult households (more than 18 yrs.) with five years. A total of 50 respondents were interviewed during the period of data collection. A structured questionnaire dealing with socio-demographic characteristics, household’s knowledge about the Insecticide-treated net and availability and ownership and uses of Insecticide-treated net were used as data collection instrument. Results were presented in frequency tables and graphics. The majority of respondents indicated that 30 out of 50 (60%) have Insecticide-treated mosquito net while 20 out of 50 (40%) do not have it. The main reason for those who do not have Insecticide-treated mosquito net they did not able to afford it. Knowledge about malaria and Insecticide-treated mosquito net importance, the majority of respondents (92%) believe that there is a great benefit to use Insecticide-treated mosquito net for a reason to protect them mosquito bites. 20 (40%) were primary education and they didn’t know the causes of malaria (38 out of 50, 76%). The households of the Hodan district need special attention to the utilization of Insecticide-treated mosquito net. Free provision of Insecticide-treated net awareness creation on the utilization of Insecticide-treated mosquito nets and participated in an income generates supremely important activities. This study demonstrated a wide gap between knowledge, Insecticide-treated mosquito net ownership, and Utilization among the household with children less than 5 years. Therefore, the suggested recommendations arising from this study are for effective case management and control efforts of malaria. One of the strongest weapons in the fight against malaria is the use of insecticide-treated mosquito net while sleeping.

Knowledge and Perceived Barriers towards Intermittent Prevention of Malaria in Pregnancy: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Intermittent prevention of malaria is a key strategy adopted globally to ensure the wellbeing of pregnant women. By extension, these strategies enhance the healthy development of the fetus. This study assesses the knowledge and practices of pregnant women towards intermittent malaria prevention strategies in the Juaben Government Hospital of Ghana. Methods: A cross-sectional, quantitative, descriptive survey was conducted among 120 pregnant women at the antenatal clinic of the Juaben Government hospital in the Ashanti region of Ghana using a simple random sampling technique in selecting the study participants. The participant response rate was 94.5%. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22.0. Results: Majority (54.2%) of respondents were between 20 - 29 years of age. Majority of study respondents attended Antenatal visits in their first trimester of pregnancy. Majority (69.2%) have knowledge of malaria preventive strategies in pregnancy, with about 70% of respondents stating these strategies were designed only for pregnant women. Only 37.5% of study respondents could rightly identify the chemoprophylaxis indicated for malaria prevention in pregnancy. Whereas majority (93.3%) of respondents owned insecticide-treated mosquito nets, only 63.3% utilized these nets for their purpose. Barriers to utilization of insecticide-treated nets include difficulty in setting up the nets (26.7%), using mosquito coils (10.8%), and feeling uncomfortable sleeping in the nets (36.7%). Barriers to taking malaria prophylaxis include distance to health facilities (28.3%), thoughts of not being sick with malaria (55.8%), using herbs (10.0%), and not being aware of the essence of prophylaxis (7.5%). Conclusion: Knowledge of malaria preventive strategies in pregnancy is high. However, utilization of these strategies is low due to perceived human and institutional barriers. A comprehensive community-wide approach is required to improve the utilization of these services among pregnant women.