Assessment of the role of volunteers in malaria case management in a rural area of tropical Bolivia

Abstract

Introduction

In Bolivia, malaria occurs on the border with Brazil, with 85% of cases due to Plasmodium vivax and 15% due to Plasmodium falciparum. The NGO Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) is implementing a malaria project with community health workers (CHW), who provide diagnosis and treatment.

Material and Methods

A total of 160 CHW were involved in the Implementation of diagnosis and treatment. The present study was undertaken in two stages in 2011 and 2012, evaluating 44 and 102 CHW respectively.

Results

The average age of the CHW was 37 years and 32% were women. In 2011 and 2012, 87% and 92%, respectively, of CHW had support material available, while 96% and 93%, respectively, knew basic information about malaria. During the monitoring of performance of the rapid malaria test, 50% of CHW did not check the expiration period, 28% did not record the name of the patient, 18% did not adequately collect blood with the pipette, 18% read the result before the required time had elapsed, 25% did not record the result in the form, 40% did not dispose of the used material, and 16% did not report the result. Regarding treatment for children, there was an increase in the coverage of treatment from 64% to 84% for P. vivax cases, and from 66% to 75% for P. falciparum cases. For adults, there was an increase in coverage from 89% to 93% for P. falciparum cases.

Discussion

The CHW must improve regarding the following aspects: filling in the malaria registration form; carrying out the rapid test; and providing the correct treatment dosage. Therefore, continued monitoring of their implementation of the project is essential.