Yehualashet Tadesse1, Seth R Irish2,3, Sheleme Chibsa3,4, Sisay Dugassa5, Lena M Lorenz6,7, Asfawesen Gebreyohannes8, Hiwot Teka3,4, Hiwot Solomon9, Eshetu Gezahegn8, Yonas Petros8, Mesfin Haile8, Mesfin Eshetu8, Matthew Murphy2,3. 1. USAID|Private Health Sector Project, Abt Associates Inc., Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. ytadesse2017@gmail.com. 2. The US President's Malaria Initiative, Bureau for Global Health, Office of Infectious Disease, United States Agency for International Development, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC, 20523, USA. 3. Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA, 30329-4027, USA. 4. U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Entoto Street, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. 5. Aklilu Lemma Institute of Pathobiology, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. 6. Department of Disease Control, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London, WC1E 7HT, UK. 7. College of Medicine & Veterinary Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK. 8. USAID|Private Health Sector Project, Abt Associates Inc., Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. 9. Disease Prevention and Control Directorate, Federal Ministry of Health, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Sixty percent of the Ethiopia population is at risk of malaria, with the highest prevalence reported in Gambella (6%) and Benishangul-Gumuz (3%) regions. Within these regions are large agricultural developments with high numbers of seasonal migrant workers. The migrant workers are believed to be at increased risk for malaria infection due to their poor living conditions and outdoor activities, but there is little information on their specific behaviours and health risks. This study was conducted to address this gap. METHODS: Quantitative observations were conducted from September to December 2017 in the Benishangul-Gumuz Region. The nightly routines of mobile migrant workers were observed every month for 4 consecutive months. The study team collected quantitative data including nocturnal behavioural observations of worker living conditions, malaria prevention efforts, and work activities and surveys of worker representatives. Qualitative data was collected from migrant workers, farm managers and local health providers using focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews. RESULTS: Migrant workers arrived in the study area during the peak malaria transmission season and the workers in focus groups reported repeated cases of malaria during their stay on the farms. Overall, less than a quarter of the migrant workers were sleeping under a mosquito net by midnight in all 4 observation months. Some work activities also took place outdoors at night. The study additionally found a lack of access to malaria prevention and treatment at the farms and challenges in utilizing local public health facilities. CONCLUSIONS: There is a need to better address malaria prevention and treatment needs among migrant workers in Ethiopia through outreach from existing healthcare infrastructure and within the farms themselves. This will help prevent malaria transmission both within this population and prevent transmission of malaria back to home communities in lower burden areas in Ethiopia.
BACKGROUND: Sixty percent of the Ethiopia population is at risk of malaria, with the highest prevalence reported in Gambella (6%) and Benishangul-Gumuz (3%) regions. Within these regions are large agricultural developments with high numbers of seasonal migrant workers. The migrant workers are believed to be at increased risk for malaria infection due to their poor living conditions and outdoor activities, but there is little information on their specific behaviours and health risks. This study was conducted to address this gap. METHODS: Quantitative observations were conducted from September to December 2017 in the Benishangul-Gumuz Region. The nightly routines of mobile migrant workers were observed every month for 4 consecutive months. The study team collected quantitative data including nocturnal behavioural observations of worker living conditions, malaria prevention efforts, and work activities and surveys of worker representatives. Qualitative data was collected from migrant workers, farm managers and local health providers using focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews. RESULTS: Migrant workers arrived in the study area during the peak malaria transmission season and the workers in focus groups reported repeated cases of malaria during their stay on the farms. Overall, less than a quarter of the migrant workers were sleeping under a mosquito net by midnight in all 4 observation months. Some work activities also took place outdoors at night. The study additionally found a lack of access to malaria prevention and treatment at the farms and challenges in utilizing local public health facilities. CONCLUSIONS: There is a need to better address malaria prevention and treatment needs among migrant workers in Ethiopia through outreach from existing healthcare infrastructure and within the farms themselves. This will help prevent malaria transmission both within this population and prevent transmission of malaria back to home communities in lower burden areas in Ethiopia.