Browsing by Author "Kiania, Nahashon Mugao"

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    Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of the Community towards Malaria Prevention and Control Options: A case study of Meru South District, Tharaka Nithi County, Kenya.
    (2014-05) Kiania, Nahashon Mugao; Duba, Mohamed; Garama, Nimrod; Anjili, O. Christopher
    Abstract: Background: Malaria is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality in Kenya. The diseases displays varying degrees of endemicity in different regions in the country, however the knowledge, attitudes and practices of communities about the disease prevention and control measures are in many cases not in tandem. Objective: To assess the level of knowledge, attitudes and practices of the communities towards malaria prevention and control options. Methodology: A cross sectional study design was done in six boarding schools in Meru South District in Tharaka Nithi County in Kenya. A single population proportion sample size formula and design effect of two was used to determine sample size. A total of 347 students were included in the study and proportional allocation was done among schools in the highland and lowland areas. The data was collected by trained data collectors and supervisors using questionnaires and interviewing guidelines. The collected data was cleaned, coded and entered into SPSS version 20.0 for windows software for analysis. Results: This study revealed that 7.8% of the respondents mentioned poverty as a strongly predisposing factor to malaria. Only 8.9% of the respondents reported that children were more vulnerable to malaria as opposed to 6.9% who give the opinion that adults were more vulnerable compared to children. On drainage, only 5.5% of the respondents reported that stagnant water near dwelling places is a strong predisposing factor to malaria. On the type housing, 4.6% of the respondents reported that poor housing exposed people to mosquito bites hence malaria. 18.2% of those interviewed were of the view that seasons with more fruits had more incidences of malaria and that this was more common during the wet and warm weather (23.6%) as compared to the cold and dry season (20.6%). Other predisposing factors that the respondents identified include pregnancy (25.3%), living with malaria infected people (43.8%) and self and presumptive medication (20.5%). Conclusion and recommendation: Knowledge, attitude and practice of the communities living in the area studied towards malaria prevention and control options was low. This calls for continual strengthening and improvement of the community knowledge, attitudes and practices towards malaria prevention and control.
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    Larvicidal efficacy of Mundulea sericea (Leguminosae) plant extract against Anopheles gambiae (Giles) and Culex quinqefasciatus (Say) (Diptera: Culicidae)
    (2014-02) Kiania, Nahashon Mugao; Mueke, Jones; Rukunga, Geoffrey; Anjili, Chris
    Background: Anopheles gambiae is the main carrier for parasites that cause malaria and filariasis as well as viruses that cause yellow fever, dengue fever, dengue haemorrhagic fever, chikungunya and encephalitis. Culex quinqefasciatus on the other hand is the main vector for parasites that cause filariasis and the virus that cause encephalitis. Insecticide use to control these vectors has led to the development of mosquito resistance, environmental pollution, and undesirable effects on non-target organisms. Consequently, interest in insecticides of natural origin, particularly plant derived products, continues to receive much attention. Objective: To evaluate organic extracts of Mundulea sericea stem bark and leaves for efficacy against Anopheles gambiae and Culex quinqefasciatus larvae. Methodology: The plant parts were separated, dried and ground into fine powder and successively extracted using selected solvents. The dried extracts were dissolved in dimethylsulphoxide (DMSO) to prepare four to five different concentrations of each extract. The larvae were then exposed to concentrations ranging from 25 to 50,000 parts per million (ppm) of the extracts in an aqueous medium for 24 hrs at 25 - 30 °C. Results: Ethanol extract of the stem-bark displayed the most remarkable potential, with an LC90 of 188 ppm and 210 ppm for An. gambiae and Cx. cuinqefasciatus respectively. Leaf water extract displayed the highest LC50 of 45,000 ppm on Cx.quinqefasciatus and 9,000 ppm on An. gambiae. Comparatively, ethanol extracts from the stem-bark had significantly higher activity than that of the leaves. Conclusion: These findings suggest that bioactivity of phytochemicals from M. sericea plant varies significantly depending on solvent used in extraction and the part of the plant. Moreover, stem-bark extracts were more efficacious than leaf extracts. Overall, ethanol extracts of the root bark have the potential of being developed as larvicides for mosquito control.