Molecular and Genetics Unit, Institute of Child Health, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.
Modibbo Adama University of Technology, Yola, Nigeria.
Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2023 Apr 17;108(6):1122-1126. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.22-0489. Print 2023 Jun 7.
Antimalarial drug failures have been reported anecdotally in Nigeria, and malarial self-treatment practices could be a contributing factor. This study was designed to assess the pattern of drug use practices and self-treatment options among caregivers in Ibadan, Nigeria. We carried out a descriptive cross-sectional study among 283 study participant pairs (children under 5 years of age with suspected malaria and their caregivers). Structured questionnaires were used as research instruments. The results indicated that most caregivers were mothers (88.8%), 69% of caregivers self-prescribed and self-managed malaria for children under 5 years old without immediate hospital visits, and 76.4% of the caregivers believed most recommended and available antimalarial drugs were ineffective. Generally, 44.2% of respondents preferred and used antibiotics as a treatment strategy for malaria, 13.2% used agbo (a locally made liquid extract of plants and roots), 12.5% used prayers, and 19.6% used antimalarial drugs. Overall, only 57.1% of respondents stated that they always complete the standard antimalarial dosage regimen. The choice of malaria self-treatment options was significantly linked to the level of education. The findings identified antibiotics, agbo, and prayers as the immediate choices for self-treating malaria disease in Ibadan. Furthermore, incomplete adherence to antimalarial drugs is a general practice in Ibadan. Malaria self-treatment policy and continuous education on antimalarial drug use tailored to the different literacy and education levels of the general public is hereby recommended to reduce the risk of development of parasite resistance to effective anti-malarial drugs.
在尼日利亚，已经有抗疟药物失败的报道，而疟疾的自我治疗做法可能是一个促成因素。本研究旨在评估尼日利亚伊巴丹的照顾者的药物使用模式和自我治疗选择。我们对 283 对研究参与者（5 岁以下疑似疟疾的儿童及其照顾者）进行了描述性横断面研究。研究使用了结构化问卷作为研究工具。结果表明，大多数照顾者是母亲（88.8%），69%的照顾者在没有立即去医院的情况下，自行开处方和管理 5 岁以下儿童的疟疾，76.4%的照顾者认为大多数推荐和可用的抗疟药物无效。总体而言，44.2%的受访者更喜欢并使用抗生素作为疟疾的治疗策略，13.2%的受访者使用 agbo（一种由植物和根制成的本地液体提取物），12.5%的受访者使用祈祷，19.6%的受访者使用抗疟药物。总体而言，只有 57.1%的受访者表示他们总是完成标准的抗疟剂量疗程。选择疟疾自我治疗方案与教育程度显著相关。研究结果发现，抗生素、agbo 和祈祷是伊巴丹自我治疗疟疾的首选方案。此外，伊巴丹不完整地遵守抗疟药物是一种普遍现象。建议制定疟疾自我治疗政策，并针对公众不同的读写水平和教育程度，持续开展抗疟药物使用教育，以降低寄生虫对抗疟药物产生耐药性的风险。
