Influence of health education on community participation in rapid assessment of onchocerciasis prior to distribution of ivermectin.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the impact of health education on community participation in the rapid assessment of onchocerciasis prior to distribution of ivermectin in Nigeria.

DESIGN

There was health education with use of pictorial monographs to an adult population and school children in Umulumgbe and Okpatu communities, respectively. The school children in turn transferred the knowledge acquired to their parents through a health club, and a third community (Awhum) had no health education. Randomly selected subjects in each community were then assessed for their ability to recognise clinical manifestations of disease.

SETTING

The study took place in three onchocerciasis-endemic, autonomous communities in Udi local government area of Enugu state in eastern Nigeria.

SUBJECTS: Fifty, thirty seven, and thirty three male subjects, aged 20 years and above in Umulumgbe, Okpatu and Awhum respectively were involved in the study.

RESULTS

89.3%, 100% and 25.6% of the total number of onchocercal nodules were rightly indicated by the subjects in Umulumgbe, Okpatu and Awhum respectively. 100% of skin depigmentation was also reported in Umulumgbe and Okpatu each, and 50% in Awhum. Although some of the clinical manifestations (onchocercal nodules and skin depigmentation) were wrongly indicated, others (hanging groin and enlarged scrotum) were not reported by the subjects at all.

CONCLUSION

This study clearly shows that health education is necessary for control programmes that are meant to be sustainable, especially the WHO-supported community-directed treatment with ivermectin (CDTI).