TY - JOUR AU - Maphane, Dirontsho AU - Ngwenya, Ntombi Barbara AU - Kolawole, Oluwatoyin Dare AU - Motsholapheko, Moseki Ronald AU - Pagiwa, Vincent PY - 2022/05/12 Y2 - 2024/03/29 TI - LOCAL KNOWLEDGE OF ADAPTIVE STRATEGIES AGAINST MALARIA ENDEMICITY IN THE OKAVANGO DELTA, BOTSWANA JF - African Journal of Infectious Diseases (AJID) JA - Afr. J. Infect. Dis. VL - 16 IS - 2 SE - Articles DO - 10.21010/Ajid v16i2.3 UR - https://journals.athmsi.org/index.php/AJID/article/view/5825 SP - 21-34 AB - <p><strong>Background:</strong> An increasing recognition of the need to eliminate malaria infection globally and particularly in Africa where more than 90% of the cases originate, should enhance community awareness and participation in the same.&nbsp; The perennial freshwater of Okavango Delta located in northern Botswana, which is a source of rural livelihoods and a suitable habitat for the malaria-causing mosquito, and where malaria is endemic provides a suitable environment for the study.Therefore,local households’ adaptive strategies against malaria transmission in the Okavango Delta were investigated.</p><p><strong>Materials and Methods:</strong> The data used in this paper is a subset or retrospective cohort of 79 households that reported malaria cases/incidences during the first community level household survey conducted from October-November 2015 on 355 households in Shakawe and Ngarange. The households were selected through stratified random sampling in the two study villages. The retrospective cohort household survey was conducted from 7-19 August 2016, in the two study sites. Data were collected through socio-economic survey, key informants’ interviews and focus group discussions.</p><p><strong>Results:</strong> The results obtained indicate that most cohort households embraced several adaptive strategies against malaria transmission. These included, <em>inter alia</em>, knowledge capacity building through attendance of health information and education workshops(69%), modifications of houses structures(49.4%), timing of activities and restricting movement at certain times of the day(43%).</p><p><strong>Discussion:</strong>Although most of the stated adaptive strategies such as house screening were not exclusively aimed towards malaria prevention and adaptation, they nonetheless had postive spill over effect that could be a catalyst for eliminating malaria in the study area.</p> ER -