An Assessment of Malaria Control Activities in Kassenanankana District
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Date
2013-06
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Abstract
Malaria is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the Kassena-Nankana District
of Ghana. The goal of Roll Back Malaria (RBM) is to reduce malaria morbidity and
mortality by 50% by the year 2010 and thereafter until the disease is no more a threat to
public health. To achieve this some preventive and therapeutic interventions have been
put in place, such as the use of Insecticide Treated Nets (ITNs), Intermittent Preventive
Treatment (IPT) in pregnant women and infants, under one year old, early identification
and treatment of the disease
To find out the knowledge of the people studied on malaria, and if malaria control
activities in the district are known and used by them. Also to assess how malaria is
diagnosed in the district health facilities.
Two methodological approaches were used.
1. In the first part, 200 respondents were interviewed using a structured
questionnaire. This constituted 100 women who cared for children under 5 years
and 100 women who were pregnant. Permission was sought to investigate if
there was a mounted an ITN in the household.
2. In the second part, data was extracted from hospital and health facility registers
and laboratory records for total cases of malaria seen as against the total
laboratory tests to confirm the malaria cases for 2007 and 2008.
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86% of respondents identified mosquito bites as the means of transmission of malaria
disease. 85% could identify signs and symptoms of malaria in young children.
71% had ITNs in their homes; however, only 52% percent actually mounted them for
use. 38% had nets but these were not in use. 10% did not permit search in their home.
89% of respondents were aware of IPT and 80% had been given SP for IPT during
pregnancy.
From the Health facility data 125,372 cases of malaria were recorded in 2007, of these,
only 1% (n=1,391) were confirmed by laboratory results as malaria. The remaining 99%
(n=123,981) were treated presumptively without laboratory confirmation. In 2008, out of
122,696 cases of malaria seen, 3% (n=3,585) were confirmed by laboratory test as
malaria. The remaining 97% (n= 119,111) were treated presumptively.
There is awareness of malaria control activities in the district. The public could identify
the mode of transmission of malaria. They could also identify the signs and symptoms of
the disease. The public is also aware of the use of IPT to prevent malaria and are
actually using it as a preventive measure. The use of ITN to prevent malaria was also
well known.
Treatment of malaria was largely presumptive. Very few malaria cases were confirmed
by lab before therapy in health facilities in district, though the situation was marginally
better in 2008 compared to 2007.
Description
A Thesis submitted to the Department of Clinical and Social Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology In partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE IN CLINICAL PHARMACY Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Health Sciences