Ibiwumi Nafisat ISOLA, Titilope E OJEDİRAN, Tonubari FADERO

Oyo State Students and Malaria Management

Background: Malaria is a vector-borne infectious disease caused by eukaryotic protist of genus Plasmodium and transmitted by female Anopheles mosquitoes. Those living mainly in the world’s poorest countries are at risk of malaria as it is more endemic in the tropical and sub-tropical regions. Malaria spread has been linked to environmental changes, malaria vector dynamics, host immune status and individual or community factors such as the socio-economic status, knowledge of malaria and the protective behaviour. The objective is to assess knowledge, perceptions and practice of malaria management among non-medical students of higher institutions in Oyo State, Nigeria. Methods: An open-ended structured questionnaire was administered consecutively to 1198 consenting non-medical students by interviewer at various higher institutions. The cross-sectional survey questionnaire comprised sections on socio-demographic data, knowledge about causes of malaria and knowledge about malaria management and practice. Results: The mean age (SD) was 21.7 (5.9) years. Five hundred and thirty respondents (44.2%) are male while 668 respondents (55.8%) are female. One thousand and seventy-seven students (89.9%) reported that malaria can be cured. Seventy-four students (6.2%) understand malaria prophylaxis to be a preventive treatment for malaria and 211 students (17.6%) said Artemisinin-based Combination Therapies (ACTs) are the most effective among the drugs they have used to treat malaria. Conclusion: Non-medical students have relatively reasonable knowledge about malaria management and practices, although, certain aspects are still not well understood, probably due to the scope of their educational curricula. Hence, there is need to intensify malaria public enlightenment programs and promote affordable treatment.

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