Community Perception and Readiness for Anti-Helminth Programmes in Rural Nepal

Abstract

We report on the community perception of helminth infection and readiness to participate in and pay for a community-based anti-helminth programme in rural Nepal. For data collection, 28 focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted in 28 communities. The FGD results revealed that community members were lacking in scientific knowledge about helminth infection. They also had an unusual perception about it - they believed that a ‘mul juka’ (vital worm) should reside in every person's stomach from birth, and must never be killed. Nonetheless, the results showed that the community members were willing to participate in and were ready to contribute their resources to the anti-helminth programmes as long as modern medicine would not kill the ‘mul juka’. Such community readiness provides us with hope for developing a sustainable anti-helminth programme at the community level through effective health education.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

World Health Organization. Intestinal parasites [www.who.int/ctd/intpara/burdens.htm; accessed 17 July, 2001].

Department of Health Service. Annual Reports, 1998/99. Kathmandu: His Majesty's Government of Nepal, 2000.

Chhetri

. An effect of rural latrine on parasite control in Panchkhal village region of Nepal. Asian Parasitic Control Organ 1992; 5: 265–9.

Chhetri

. Parasite infections in Nepal. J Nepal Med Assoc 1997; 35: 60–5.

Hoge

Echeverria

Rajah

. Prevalence of cyclospora species and other enteric pathogens among children less than 5 years of age in Nepal. J Clin Microbiol 1995; 33: 3058–60.

Williams-Blangero

Subedi

Upadhaya

. Attitudes towards helminthic infection in the Jirel population of eastern Nepal. Soc Sei Med 1998; 47: 371–9.

Rai

Nakanishi

Upadhyay

. Effect of intestinal helminth infection on some nutritional parameters among rural villagers in Nepal. Kobe J Med Sei 1998; 44: 91–8.

Rai

Matsumura

Ono

. Intestinal parasitoses in an “unknown disease outbreak” hit rural hilly area in western Nepal. Nepal Med Coll J 2000; 2: 61–4.

Khanal

Walgate

. Nepal deworming programme ready to go worldwide. Bull World Health Organ 2002; 80: 423–4.

10.

Rijal

Oda

Basnet

. Gender variations in the prevalence of parasitic infections and the level of awareness in adolescents in rural Nepal. SE Asian Trop Med Public Health 2001; 32: 575–80.

11.

Partnership for Child Development. Community perception of school-based delivery of anthelmintics in Ghana and Tanzania. Trop Med Int Health 2001; 6: 1075–83.

12.

Tanner

. From the bench to the field: control of parasitic infections within primary health care. Parasitology 1989; 99: S81–92.

13.

Nwaorgu

Okeibunor

Madu

Amazigo

Onyegegbu

Evans

. A school-based schistosomiasis and intestinal helminthiasis control programme in Nigeria: acceptability to community members. Trop Med Int Health 1998; 3: 842–9.

14.

National Research Associates. District Profile: A Comprehensive National Profile of Nepal. Kathmandu: NRA, 1997.

15.

School and Community Health Project. Participatory Baseline Study of School and Community Health Project. Kathmandu: New ERA and SCHP, 1997.

16.

Green

. Purity, pollution and the invisible snake in Southern Africa. Med Anthropol 1997; 17: 83–100.

17.

Nichter

. From ARALU to ORS: Sinhalese perceptions of digestion, diarrhea, and dehydration. Soc Sei Med 1988; 27: 39–52.

18.

Curtale

Pezzotti

Sharbini

. Knowledge, perceptions and behaviour of mothers towards intestinal helminths in upper Egypt: implications for control. Health Policy Plan 1998; 13: 423–32.

19.

Jackson

Jackson-Carroll

. The social significance of routine health behavior in Tamang daily life. Soc Sei Med 1994; 38: 999–1010.