Knowledge of Malaria Preventive Measures in a Hyperendemic Rural Area of West Africa

The Abuja Declaration on Roll Back Malaria in Africa on 25th April 2000 by 44 African heads of state and government adopted the use of insecticide-treated bed nets (ITNs) as a preventive measure against the adverse effects of malaria among pregnant women in Africa. Similar optimism is expressed for the coverage of intermittent presumptive treatment (IPT) of Malaria infection among pregnant women across the continent. We conducted a community-based survey of recently pregnant women randomly selected from eight communities of Ikwo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, Nigeria in June 2016, to study the level of knowledge of rural dwellers on the use of insecticide-treated bed nets by pregnant women. Among 300 households surveyed, 76.5% stated their high knowledge of and use of insecticide-treated bed nets during pregnancy. A greater population of women of these communities (88.5%) knew the dangers of malaria in pregnancy and to the unborn child. The coverage of a nationally recommended strategy to prevent malaria during pregnancy was high across all the communities studied. More sensitization and expansion of access to this service are required to meet the fullest meaning of the name “ROLL BACK malaria to where it came from”. The sealing up of malaria prevention programs through antenatal care (ANC) services should be encouraged with 78.2% of women still indulging in self-treatment of malaria during pregnancy. Issues of commodity supply and service-free costs to clients should be encouraged and sustained.