Perception about the combination of drugs for treatment malaria and helminths.
deaths, bloating, death, fall ill, stomach pain, swelling, fever, malaria, helminths, stomach aches, adverse drug reactions
MALARIA, ADVERSE DRUG REACTIONS, ADVERSE EFFECTS, SAID, WORMS, MALARIA, DISEASES
Most parents interviewed were happy for their children to participate in the study. They thought it was a good initiative as the diseases targeted by the study were perceived as dangerous diseases. They also reported that the occurrence of these diseases remained very high in their locality, especially in the rainy period, affecting all layers of the population, mainly children. According to some parents/caregivers, the burden of malaria and parasitic worms was due to the geography and climate of the region.But we can only be satisfied. Because every year our children fall ill with malaria and stomach aches because of worms so if we are given medicine to treat these two diseases, we must take advantage of it. You know we are in a border area and as each rainy season approaches, malaria and worms begin to set in. The swelling of the belly of the child are due to the worms, therefore the medicines are very important for us. Comments from most parents showed that the SMC had contributed to a significant reduction in malaria burden in the locality during the past years. They also acknowledged that the risk of malaria was still present, especially during the rainy seasons when children were exposed to stagnant water where mosquitoes bred.Children are in contact with nature eh, here they are everywhere, they wade through stagnant water during wet season. Here, at the backwater, that’s where they go to bathe or swim, so all of this can give them worm diseases. Malaria too, with the mosquitoes that develop in these places where children frequently go. So combining the drugs for malaria and worms for the children can really give a convincing result for better health of these children. Several parents cited the health implications resulting from combined malaria and helminths as one of the reasons for accepting that their children could participate in the study. They reported that their children suffered frequently from symptoms from fever, stomach swelling, stomach pain, or bloating. These symptoms were described in local parlance (in Mandinka language) as It’s a feeling of satisfaction and a bit of worry because I’m like, “Is this going to continue?” They can get us used to this program this year, and later let us down, that’s my concern, but otherwise it’s a feeling of satisfaction and it must also be said that I felt sorry for some children to see them take many drugs at the same time, but I believed it was for their good. Yes the feeling that I really had that moved me a lot because not only does it contribute to the good health of my children and it is a way of fighting against these diseases that we do not know, but which ravage the rural area especially in the rainy season. In any case, personally, I find this very important and it’s a feeling of satisfaction that I have because I tell myself that maybe I have good luck, I don’t know if it’s in all over Senegal. Similar opinions were expressed by the trial staff who administered the study drugs and those who visited the children and their parents at homes for safety assessment. They considered their involvement in this project as a chance to participate in the elimination of the two major diseases (malaria and worms) that have contributed to the poor growth and death of many children in the community.As CK said, we had a feeling of pride because before, we saw a lot of child deaths, so today it’s a pride to see them taking the drugs for their improved health from malaria and worms. The feeling I had was fulfillment and satisfaction because, in some way, it contributed to the development of my locality. Since these diseases can lead to several deaths, so if we participate in eradicating them, it is a source of pride for us. Seeing the children taking the medicine also reassures us that they are not going to get malaria or worms. However, healthcare providers expressed concerns about the possibility of increased adverse drug reactions after co-administration of anthelminthic and SMC medications. They suggested that practical strategies, such as adapting the dosages of the drugs according to age groups, should be developed to minimize the likely adverse effects of the drugs. They also said that the study plan of giving anthelminthic drugs a day before the SMC drugs might improve their tolerability.We know that these are drugs that we are used to giving and each of these drugs cause certain side effects; so I had a little concern about the combination of these drugs and about the reaction in the children’s bodies. It was a feeling of a little worry that drove me, but still after the administration, I saw that there was really nothing to be afraid of. So, I feel a great pleasure to be part of this study. Especially since at the very beginning we were called to give an update on the situation of the malaria and worms in general, and to tell us that this year they intend to combine the drug campaigns of NTD and SMC. My pharmacy colleagues prepared the dosages of each drug according to a child’s age or weight. It’s across age groups; for each child we administered the dose that goes with it. Like, for example, 3-year-olds and 10-year-olds cannot have the same dosage. We adapted the drugs and put them in sachets, which we gave to the medication administration team. 