N'Guessan G. K. D., Coulibaly F. H., Barreaux A. M. G., Yapo R. J., Adou K. A., Tia E., Fournet Florence. (2022). Qualitative study on the use and maintenance of long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) in Bouake (Cote d'Ivoire), 17 months after the last mass distribution campaign. Malaria Journal, 21 (1), p. 228 [10 p.].
Titre du document
Qualitative study on the use and maintenance of long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) in Bouake (Cote d'Ivoire), 17 months after the last mass distribution campaign
N'Guessan G. K. D., Coulibaly F. H., Barreaux A. M. G., Yapo R. J., Adou K. A., Tia E., Fournet Florence
Source
Malaria Journal, 2022,
21 (1), p. 228 [10 p.]
Background The use of long-lasting insecticide-treated nets (LLINs) is one of the main malaria prevention method promoted by the World Health Organization (WHO) in Cote d'Ivoire. LLIN-coverage has reached 95% since 2015 and nearly 16 million LLINs were distributed in 2017. Despite these efforts, malaria incidence at the national level remains high (120 parts per thousand in 2012 to 164 parts per thousand in 2017) although this could be partly explained by increased screening efforts. This study aimed at determining what preventative measures were used against mosquito bites, as well as LLIN maintenance practices used by the inhabitants of the city of Bouake, capital city of the Gbeke region with a malaria incidence of 257 parts per thousand in 2017. Methods A descriptive qualitative investigation took place in Bouake, in four neighbourhoods that were selected through purposive sampling based on their social composition. Data were collected using an interview guide based on convenience sampling. Results The results of the study reveal that LLINs are the most reported used malaria prevention measure (66.4%). Environmental health (28.8%) came second in their declarations, smoke coils (23.5%) third and aerosol cans (18.8%) last. The percentage of respondents who answered that they had slept under an LLIN the previous night was 53%. 57.7% reported that they wash their LLINs, 12.1% that they do not wash them, and 4% that they replace dirty LLINs with new ones. The LLINs washing methods described by the respondents did not comply with the WHO recommendations and there was no mention of LLINs repairs. Conclusion Despite mass distributions of LLINs in Cote d'Ivoire, this key malaria control tool remains under-used by the population. Regarding LLIN maintenance, more than half of the population reports that they wash their nets while not complying with recommended practices or repairing them.
