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1 – 10 of 234Climate change affects the geographic and seasonal range of malaria incidence, especially, in poor tropical countries. This paper aims to attempt to conceptualize the potential…
Abstract
Purpose
Climate change affects the geographic and seasonal range of malaria incidence, especially, in poor tropical countries. This paper aims to attempt to conceptualize the potential economic repercussions of such effects with its focus on Ethiopia.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper is conceptual and descriptive in its design. It first reviews existing literature and evidence on the economic burdens of malaria, and the impacts of climate change on malaria disease. It then draws the economic implications of the expected malaria risk under the future climate. This is accompanied by a discussion on a set of methods that can be used to quantify the economic effects of malaria with or without climate change.
Findings
A review of available evidence shows that climate change is likely to increase the geographic and seasonal range of malaria incidence in Ethiopia. The economic consequences of even a marginal increase in malaria risk will be substantial as one considers the projected impacts of climate change through other channels, the current population exposed to malaria risk and the country’s health system, economic structure and level of investment. The potential effects have the potency to require more household and public spending for health, to perpetuate poverty and inequality and to strain agricultural and regional development.
Originality/value
This paper sheds light on the economic implications of climate change impacts on malaria, particularly, in Agrarian countries laying in the tropics. It illustrates how such impacts will interact with other impact channels of climate change, and thus evolve to influence the macro-economy. The paper also proposes a set of methods that can be used to quantify the potential economic effects of malaria. The paper seeks to stimulate future research on this important topic which rather has been neglected.
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Patcharaporn Krainara, Pongchai Dumrongrojwatthana and Pattarasinee Bhattarakosol
This paper aims to uncover new factors that influence the spread of malaria.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to uncover new factors that influence the spread of malaria.
Design/methodology/approach
The historical data related to malaria were collected from government agencies. Later, the data were cleaned and standardized before passing through the analysis process. To obtain the simplicity of these numerous factors, the first procedure involved in executing the factor analysis where factors' groups related to malaria distribution were determined. Therefore, machine learning was deployed, and the confusion matrices are computed. The results from machine learning techniques were further analyzed with logistic regression to study the relationship of variables affecting malaria distribution.
Findings
This research can detect 28 new noteworthy factors. With all the defined factors, the logistics model tree was constructed. The precision and recall of this tree are 78% and 82.1%, respectively. However, when considering the significance of all 28 factors under the logistic regression technique using forward stepwise, the indispensable factors have been found as the number of houses without electricity (houses), number of irrigation canals (canals), number of shallow wells (places) and number of migrated persons (persons). However, all 28 factors must be included to obtain high accuracy in the logistics model tree.
Originality/value
This paper may lead to highly-efficient government development plans, including proper financial management for malaria control sections. Consequently, the spread of malaria can be reduced naturally.
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Pyae Linn Aung, Tepanata Pumpaibool, Than Naing Soe and Myat Phone Kyaw
Malaria still remains a significant public health problem in Myanmar and it has a complex epidemiology. Evidence-based community awareness raising interventions are also…
Abstract
Purpose
Malaria still remains a significant public health problem in Myanmar and it has a complex epidemiology. Evidence-based community awareness raising interventions are also particularly needed. This cross-sectional study was organized to explore the basic characteristics associated with knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) regarding malaria among people living in the most malaria-endemic villages of the Banmauk Township, Sagaing Region, Myanmar. The paper aims to discuss these issues.
Design/methodology/approach
The Banmauk, one of the most malaria-endemic townships, was selected purposively in order to represent the survey results for people living in malaria hotspots. During the peak malaria season (July 2018), 250 household leaders were invited to be interviewed with structured questionnaires. In addition to descriptive data, the associations were determined by χ2-test and correlation.
Findings
Overall KAP indicated considerably low percentages of good levels, especially in practice, only 21.6 percent showed good practice, 38.4 percent had good knowledge and 56.8 percent had good attitude. Age (p=0.022) and annual family income (p<0.001) were significantly associated with the knowledge level, whereas having fever attacks among family members in the last two weeks (p=0.023) showed statistical association with attitude at a p-value <0.05. Surprisingly, there were no associated variables with malaria practice. In addition, there were negative correlations between knowledge with attitude and knowledge with practice; however, the results were not significant.
Originality/value
The overall KAP regarding malaria was at relatively poor levels among people living in malaria transmission areas. Therefore, new approaches to improve malaria KAP are promptly needed in this community.
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Shanker Bahadur Shrestha, Uttam Raj Pyakurel, Mukti Khanal, Murari Upadhyay, Kesara Na-Bangchang and Phunuch Muhamad
The purpose of this paper is to investigate epidemiology and control strategies of the four priority vector-borne diseases (VBDs) in Nepal, i.e. malaria, Kala-azar (visceral…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate epidemiology and control strategies of the four priority vector-borne diseases (VBDs) in Nepal, i.e. malaria, Kala-azar (visceral leishmaniasis), lymphatic filariasis (LF) and dengue fever/dengue hemorrhagic fever.
Design/methodology/approach
The study was a retrospective design to collect data during 1998–2016 from VBDs endemic districts of Nepal. All data were reviewed and epidemiological information of the four VBDs were analyzed.
Findings
The number of malaria cases during 1998–2016 of the 13 affected districts was declined from 8,498 to 991 cases with no record of deaths since 2012. The number of cases and deaths in the 12 kala-azar (visceral leishmaniasis) affected districts in 1998 was 1,409 and 42 cases, respectively, but was dramatically decreased in 2016 to 213 and 2 cases, respectively. LF cases of the 61 affected districts in 2011, 2014 and 2016 were 28,855, 30,000 and 33,517 cases, respectively. In total, 25 districts achieved elimination target and the remaining are expected to complete the needful cycles by 2018. Dengue incidence of the 31 affected districts during 2006–2015 was under controlled with reported cases of 642, 356 and 136 cases in 2013, 2014 and 2015, respectively, and only one death in 2015. Implementation of control strategies particularly disease management and community peoples’ awareness significantly reduced the cases and deaths of the target VBDs.
Practical implications
The results of this study clearly suggest that the current control strategies have been worked effectively. However, in particular of the VBDs, health education in communities in the endemic areas should be adopted for better community participation in the context of the primary health care approach and increase the effectiveness of disease control.
Originality/value
VBDs, i.e., malaria, kala-azar (visceral leishmaniasis), LF and dengue fever/dengue hemorrhagic fever, are major causes of morbidity and mortality in the least developed countries which include Nepal. Globalization of travel and trading, unplanned urbanization, environmental and climate change are having a significant impact on disease transmission. Therefore, the Ministry of Health of Nepal had brought some changes in strategies based on activities for disease control, vector control, preventive and preparedness for outbreak response. Consequently, the cases and deaths due to malaria, kala-azar (visceral leishmaniasis), lymphatic filaiasis and dengue fever/dengue hemorrhagic fever have been brought down markedly.
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Nanloh Samuel Jimam and Nahlah Elkudssiah Ismail
This study determined factors that influenced patients' knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) regarding uncomplicated malaria in primary healthcare (PHC) facilities of Plateau…
Abstract
Purpose
This study determined factors that influenced patients' knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) regarding uncomplicated malaria in primary healthcare (PHC) facilities of Plateau state, Nigeria.
Design/methodology/approach
The data of 956 patients treated for uncomplicated malaria in PHC facilities of Plateau state were used for the study. Inferential statistical analyses were conducted to identify factors that influenced patients' KAP on the disease and its management.
Findings
The study revealed age (p < 0.001), level of education (p = 0.012), attitudes (p = 0.007) and practices (p < 0.001) as significant predictors of knowledge outcomes on uncomplicated malaria, while their attitudes towards the disease and its management was predicted by their gender (p = 0.011), occupation (p = 0.049), monthly income (p = 0.018), knowledge (p < 0.001) and practices (p < 0.001). Furthermore, their practices were significantly predicted by monthly incomes (p = 0.043), knowledge (p < 0.001), attitudes (p < 0.001) and number of anti-malarial and adjunct drugs administered to them (p = 0.041).
Originality/value
The study revealed a mixed influence of patients' characteristics on their KAP outcomes. This calls for appropriate intervention measures towards achieving the desired patients' therapeutic outcomes.
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