A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z All
Onyemachi, P.
- Assessment of the Effectiveness of Malaria Control Measures in Communities in Abia State, Nigeria
Authors
1 Department of Community Medicine, Abia State University, Uturu, NG
2 Department of Community Medicine, Imo State University, Owerri, NG
Source
International Journal of Innovative Research and Development, Vol 5, No 3 (2016), Pagination: 209-213Abstract
Introduction: All efforts to eradicate malaria in the developing world including Nigeria have failed leaving the only option to control measures. The control measures for consideration are therapeutic, health education including environmental control, long lasting insecticide treated bed nets and bed nets with covering of the doors, windows and vents in the houses. The study is to assess the effectiveness of various malaria control measures in preventing malaria.
Materials and method: The study used all the 120 households who attended the regular health education programme for free distribution of insecticide treated bed nets in the government health centre in the study area. The households were made up of three groups of 40 households each, comprising a control and two intervention groups. A month interval was given to the respondents to familiarize themselves with the correct use of the treated bed nets and application of health education programmes that they were provided with. Data were analyzed using frequency tables.
Results: Out of the 40 households with 240 inhabitants in the control group, 24(10%) of them were infected with malaria. The results in the intervention groups show that the first intervention group, with 235 inhabitants, only 6(2.6%) were infected with malaria while in the second intervention group, with 218 inhabitants, none was treated for malaria. It is worthy to note that malaria cases were treated throughout the 12 months’ period of the study.
Conclusion: The fact that the second intervention group who used health education, treated bed net in addition to netting their doors, windows and vents had no reported case of malaria shows that this package is the best option for malaria control measures. Therefore, use of treated bed nets, netting doors, windows, and vents as well as adhering to health education malaria control practices are the most effective malaria control packages. It is therefore recommended that for successful malaria control measure, the package of health education, use of treated bed net, netting of doors windows and vents should be strictly adopted.