The use of non-prescribed anti-malarial drugs for the treatment of malaria in the Bolgatanga municipality, northern Ghana

Abstract

BackgroundThe use of non-prescribed anti-malarial drugs can lead to treatment failure and development of drug-resistant parasites. This study investigated the use of non-prescribed anti-malarial drugs for the treatment of malaria in the Bolgatanga Municipality of northern Ghana.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional survey of a random sample of 392 adults and children with episodes of malaria in the last four weeks prior to the study.ResultsMajority of survey respondents 96.9% (380) knew the symptoms of malaria, 75% (294) knew the causes of malaria and 93.1% (365) were aware of mode of transmission of malaria. The use of non-prescribed anti-malarial drugs was 16.8% (95% CI: 13.3-21.0) among the respondents. About 56% (95% CI: 43.3-68.3) of the respondents who took non-prescribed anti-malaria drugs took non-artemisinin-based combination therapy (chloroquine, artemether, amodiaquine and sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine). Respondents above five years of age were more likely to use non-prescribed anti-malarial drugs than those below five years of age [P < 0.001]; respondents who knew the right source of malaria treatment were less likely to use non-prescribed anti-malarial drugs than those who did not [P = 0.002]. Respondents using non-prescribed anti-malarials were influenced by people around them who used non-prescribed anti-malarials. Thus, these respondents were more likely to use non-prescribed anti-malarials than those who were not influenced [P = 0.004].ConclusionsRespondents’ knowledge of malaria treatment and the influence of people using non-prescribed anti-malarials are factors affecting use of non-prescribed anti-malarials. The study concludes that there is high use of non-prescribed anti-malarial drugs in the municipality and most of the non-prescribed anti-malarias were non-artemisinin-based combination therapy. The study recommends education of the general public and chemical sellers to reduce the use of non-prescribe anti-malaria drugs.

Antibiotic Use and Misuse Among Adults in Magwagwa Ward, Nyamira County in Kenya

“…Other sources of unprescribed drugs were what remained from previous illness, from friends/relatives and the shops. These findings are similar to those reported locally in Kenya (Deressa, et al 2003;Buabeng, et al 2007;Aborah, et al 2013). Sourcing medications from what remained in previous illness, friends/relatives and local shops is alarming because these sources indicate possible overdose, under dose, poor adherence to recommended prescription.…”

Awareness of the National Antimalarial Treatment Policy and Malaria Self-care Practices among Medical Students and the Staff of the University of Calabar, Nigeria

“…Interestingly, the study revealed that high proportion of the respondents (73%) practiced self-medication for malaria treatment. The observation is congruent with findings elsewhere [31][32][33]. This finding contrasts gravely with what obtained in a study carried out among non-medical tertiary students in Osun State, Nigeria, where only 5.7% practiced self-medication [27].…”

Sulfadoxine-Pyrimethamine Resistant Haplotypes in Asymptomatically and Symptomatically Malaria Infected Individuals in Côte d’Ivoire

“…The emergence of these rare mutations in Anonkoua-kouté suggests that monitoring SP resistance during SP/IPTp implementation will be important. In line with previous work in Mali and Ghana [15,20,31] the increased number of mutant alleles at key loci of the pfdhfr and pfdhps genes in Anonkoua-kouté reflects a long history of the usage of sulpha drugs including SP consistent with the level of SP in West Africa [15,20,31]. This provides evidence for an ongoing selection of resistant parasites [32] due to the intensive use of sulpha drugs such as Trimethoprim-Sulfadoxine in the treatment of fever associated with respiratory affections in children less than 15 years or against opportunistic infections occurring in individuals infected with HIV/ AIDS [33].…”

“…Since it is recommended for the intermittent preventive treatment in pregnant women [18], SP is still accessible for acute malaria treatment especially from the informal sector [19,20].…”