Assessment of knowledge, attitude and practice of community about malaria prevention and control interventions in ccrda/CORE group malaria project intervention areas in Ethiopia

The Consortium of Christian Relief and Development Associations (CCRDA)/ CORE Group Ethiopia awarded fund from the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM) Round 8 through the Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) of Ethiopia. The main purpose of the study was to collect a baseline data on the knowledge, attitude and practices of the community about malaria prevention and control interventions. The survey used community-based cross-sectional survey carried out during February 13-26, 2011 using a stratified multi-stage sampling technique. The finding revealed that 47% replied that malaria could be transmitted from person to person, while 38% replied “no”; however, 15% did not know whether or not malaria could be transmitted from person to person. Only 20% reported treatment seeking within 24 hours of the onset of malaria symptoms. Overall, 34% of the respondents reported that their houses were sprayed with IRS in the past 12 months, of which 33% were re-plastered within an average duration of 3.4 months after spraying. Among ITN-owning households, 72% of children under the age of five years slept under an ITN the night preceding the survey. About 60% of the pregnant women identified through this survey slept under an ITN the previous night before the survey. In conclusion the survey findings clearly show the need for increasing the coverage of malaria control interventions and the need for effective behavior change to promote the uptake of those interventions and demand creation among the community. The distribution and replacement strategy of ITNs should be strengthened.