Understanding challenges to malaria elimination in Nepal: a qualitative study with an embedded capacity-building exercise

• Published in: Malaria journal 2019-12, Vol.18 (1), p.437-437, Article 437
• Main Authors: Adhikari, Shiva Raj, Sapkota, Vishnu P, Thapa, Arjun K, Acharya, Yubraj
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Actors; Artemisinin; Buildings; Capacity Building - statistics & numerical data; Capacity development; Communicable diseases; Community; Diabetes mellitus; Diagnosis; Disease eradication; Disease Eradication - statistics & numerical data; Disease prevention; Elimination; Epidemiology; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Health services; Health systems; Human diseases; Human resources; Humans; Hypertension; Insecticides; Malaria; Malaria - prevention & control; Medical diagnosis; Nepal; Nets; Qualitative Research; Spraying; Vector-borne diseases
• ISSN: 1475-2875; 1475-2875
• DOI: 10.1186/s12936-019-3081-7

The Nepalese Government has made significant progress toward the elimination of malaria. However, given the surge in the prevalence of non-communicable diseases, such as diabetes and hypertension, and the localized nature of malaria prevalence, malaria elimination will remain a challenge. In the current study, the authors sought to understand local perceptions on threats to malaria elimination in three endemic districts. The authors conducted a capacity-building exercise embedded within a qualitative study. The study component aimed to understand how local policymakers and actors perceive challenges in malaria elimination. For them to be able to articulate the challenges, however, an understanding of malaria elimination in the context of a broader health system in Nepal would be required. The capacity-building component, thus, involved providing that knowledge. Although the prevalence of malaria is high in the three districts where the study was conducted, there are significant gaps in human resources, diagnosis and treatment, and the provision of indoor residual spraying and long-lasting insecticide treated nets. More importantly, the authors' experience suggests that it may be possible to capitalize on local expertise in order to identify gaps in malaria elimination at a sub-national level by building in a capacity-building exercise within a study. Locals in three malaria-endemic districts of Nepal perceive that there are significant gaps in human resources, diagnosis and treatment, the provision of insecticide treated nets, and indoor residual spraying.