Knowledge and perception of asymptomatic malaria in the Volta region of Ghana

Abstract

ABSTRACT Background The control of asymptomatic malaria is considered a key aspect of malaria control. This study aimed to assess the knowledge and perception of asymptomatic malaria among people in Ho municipality of the Volta region. Methods A descriptive cross-sectional study involving questionnaire administration was conducted among randomly sampled residents of the Ho municipality of the Volta region of Ghana. Using SPSS version 25 statistical software, frequency distributions and proportions were computed for sociodemographic variables while knowledge and perception about asymptomatic malaria were computed into percentages and categorized into three levels based on Bloom's cut-off for further analysis. Findings with p-values <0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results Among the 200 participants, 197 (98.5%) were aware of malaria. The majority (116 [58.0%]) of the study participants agreed to the possibility of asymptomatic infection, but most (133 [66.5%]) of the community members did not know that asymptomatic individuals can still transmit infections. The majority of the participants (184 [92.0%]) showed interest in getting further education on asymptomatic malaria and a significant majority (180 [90.0%]) expressed a willingness to take treatment after testing positive without showing any symptoms. Conclusions Asymptomatic malaria control can be achieved through a mass testing and treatment strategy, therefore improving the knowledge and perception about asymptomatic malaria might improve malaria control.