Treatment Delay Attitude of Caregivers in Management of Childhood Malaria in Rural Communities in Nigeria

Aims: The aim of this paper was to assess the promptness of caregiver’s action at the onset of malaria symptoms to giving recommended effective anti-malaria drugs from public health facility.
Study Design: It was a cross sectional study.
Study Setting: The study was conducted in Akpabuyo, a rural community in Cross River State, south eastern Nigeria, March to May 2011.
Methods: Announcements were made in the community inviting mothers/caregivers to bring their sick-children/wards to the public primary health facilities for free laboratory malaria test and treatment. Caregivers treatment seeking behaviour were assessed using an interviewer administered questionnaire. Data was collected from each of the ten electoral wards that make up Akpabuyo local government area (LGA) in Cross River State, Nigeria. Wherever necessary native language or broken-English was used.
Results: Eight hundred and sixty children between the ages of 6 months to 14 years participated in the study. Majority of them (68%) were under-five years of age. There were slightly more males (52%) than females, mean age of the children was 47 months. The mean time-lag between onset of symptom and presentation in the public health-care was about 168 hours. The mothers either bought their drugs from patent medicine vendors and/or used herbal-medicines, before eventually going to the public health facility, where there are both free drugs and skilled manpower. Twenty-seven (27%) of the caregivers did not give any known treatment.
Conclusion: Mothers/caregivers in this community treat their malaria sick children within 168hours, after lots of delay, trying other remedies, before presenting in public health facilities. There is need to improve their treatment seeking behaviour, using health education intervention and behavioural change communication.