A Malaria Knowledge, Attitudes and Practice Survey in a Rural Community in Guinea.
Our Chief Innovations Officer, Dr. Nirmal Ravi recently teamed up with other industry-leading research professionals to release a publication on the Global Inequity of COVID-19 Diagnostics.
Malaria is the top public health problem in the Republic of Guinea, with more than 4 million cases and 10,000 deaths in 2021 among a population of approximately 13 million. It is also the second highest cause of death there. The purpose of this quantitative survey in a rural area of Guinea was to understand knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) about malaria and to assess water and sanitation practices among community members.
The Republic of Guinea is situated in the Gulf of Guinea in West Africa bordered by Sierra Leone, Liberia, Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, and Ivory Coast. Guinea’s population of approximately 13 million inhabitants is considered to be at risk of this vector borne illness that has year-round transmission, with the peak transmission occurring during the July through October rainy season [2]. According to the National Strategic Plan of Guinea, malaria remains the number one public health problem accounting for a third of all patient visits [2]. The routine surveillance system in Guinea reported 992,146 cases of malaria and 867 deaths in 2016 [2]. Guinea is one of the countries with the highest percentage of severe anaemia among children aged under 5 years who were positive for malaria, and it is the second highest leading cause of death for all age groups [3] A recent national household survey of children aged 6 months to 9 years showed malaria prevalence between 44 and 61% with rural areas showing high prevalence [4].