High level of knowledge and awareness about malaria among Orang Asli communities in Peninsular Malaysia
Dr. Zulkarnain Md Idris, senior lecturer at the Department of Parasitology and Medical Entomology, and Mohd Bakhtiar Munajat, Master student, have recently published an article in Malaria Journal in which they reported a high and acceptable level of knowledge about malaria as well as a positive attitude towards malaria control preventions among Orang Asli communities in Kelantan, Peninsular Malaysia.
In the past decade, studies conducted in Peninsular Malaysia have shown that malaria is common among the indigenous community of Orang Asli. This may be due to the low awareness or poor adherence among the Orang Asli towards malaria disease that mightn cause of lack of involvement in control activities. Therefore, it is crucial to inform and support the whole communities to continue or adopt preventive behaviours that can reduce the risk of infections. To evaluate these communal aspects, Dr. Zulkarnain and his group performed the community’s knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) study on malaria among Orang Asli communities in Pos Kuala Betis, Kelantan in 2019.
“We found that majority of respondents used mosquito bed nets every night (95%), and almost all of them (98%) were aware that malaria is transmitted by mosquitoes. Furthermore, regarding practice for managing malaria, the most common practice adopted by the respondents was seeking treatment at the health facilities (71%), suggesting a good availability of health services and the accessibility of healthcare facilities provided by the government.” Dr. Zulkarnain explains.
This study also uncovered that the presence of monkeys within the villages is an important potential risk factor for zoonotic malaria transmission. “About half of the respondents (47%) reported seeing monkeys from their houses and 20% reported entering nearby forests within the last 6 months,” says first-author Mohd Bakhtiar. “The probability of introduced cases of the simian malaria parasite in areas where monkeys live near human settlements would be highly likely.”
The researchers note that continued malaria surveillance, vector control, education and information campaigns are needed not only among the Orang Asli community but other vulnerable communities in the country.
The research has been financed with grants from UKM (GGPM-2018-047) and ASEANSecretariat (FF-2019-124).
Publication
“Perceptions and prevention practices on malaria among the indigenous Orang Asli community in Kelantan, Peninsular Malaysia” Mohd Bakhtiar Munajat, Mohd Amirul Fitri A. Rahim, Wathiqah Wahid, Mohd Ikhwan Mukmin Seri Rakna, Paul C.S. Divis, Sriwipa Chuangchaiya, Inke Nadia D. Lubis, Emelia Osman, Muhd Rafiq Mohd Kasri, Zulkarnain Md Idris, Malaria Journal, online Apr. 27, 2021, doi: 10.1186/s12936-021-03741-y