Awareness and Practices on Malaria and its Prevention in Two Northern Districts of Karnataka- Understanding the Ground Realities

Introduction: Malaria is a disease with global public health importance. India is endemic for the disease and accounts for 4% of global deaths due to Malaria. Karnataka contributes 0.89% of cases annually of the country and is in the pre-elimination phase of the disease. The study was conducted in two districts of Karnataka to assess the awareness about malaria and practices on its prevention and treatment among residents of the districts. Materials and Methods: A crosssectional study was conducted in 2 urban and 6 rural randomly selected clusters in Raichur and Bagalkot districts of Karnataka. A total of 480 individuals were assessed for their perception and practices related to malaria prevention by direct interview and observation checklist using a pretested structured interview schedule. The data collected was analyzed using SPSS-22. Results: The present study found that 43.1% of study subject were aware that malaria is transmitted through mosquito bite. 39% of respondents were able to identify at least one symptom of malaria while 44.6% were aware of at least one preventive measure to be taken against transmission of the disease. 60.8% of households surveyed under the study owned at least one mosquito net in their house. The proportion of houses where indoor residual spraying was done was only 3.5%. Conclusion: The overall awareness about malaria and its prevention was notably low in the study region. So, we recommend additional behavioural change communic