Perceptions and practices of the Konso community (South-west Ethiopia) relating to malaria: implications for control

To get a deeper insight on how the Konso community in Ethiopia perceives malaria and manages the disease we assessed people's knowledge on the causes of malaria, their treatment-seeking behaviour and use of preventive measures.

The study was conducted during the period of high malaria transmission in 2009 and comprised a structured questionnaire administered to 609 family heads, focus group discussions and in-depth interviews with caretakers and traditional medical practitioners respectively.

From focus group discussions (FGD) emerged that malaria is perceived as a major health problem by the Konso community. The questionnaire outcome revealed that the majority (75%) of the interviewed household heads know that malaria is transmitted by mosquitoes, but most of them (85%) associate the disease also with particular environmental and climatic conditions. Half of the respondents resort to home treatment with herbal remedies as first source of cure, most commonly by using plant parts from Moringa stenopetala, Vernonia amygdalina and Withania somnifera. The use of mosquito nets, cleaning the house and burning herbs emerged as the most frequently cited perceived and practiced preventive measures.

Since traditional methods to cure and prevent malaria are deeply rooted in the Konso community, there is an urgent need to validate efficacy and safety of the plant preparations that are employed. Community information campaigns need to pay attention to the still widely diffused misconceptions about the transmission of malaria that possibly may interfere with the proper use of insecticide treated mosquito nets.