Abstract:

While severe malaria (SM) contributes to high mortality in children in Nigeria, appropriate treatment is cardinal in reducing SM death. However, there exist limited studies on how health workers (HWs) manage SM in children in Nigeria. The study aimed to assess the health worker’s treatment practices for severe malaria in children. A cross-sectional survey of severe malaria (SM) management in children (0- 5 years) was conducted in 377 participants across randomly selected 5 hospitals in Kebbi State. Data abstraction form was used to obtain parameters for SM from the patient’s record. A structured questionnaire was utilized to get information from HWs regarding the management of SM. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS version 23.0. A total of 377 cases of SM were identified. Documented symptoms for SM symptoms included fever (43.2 %), convulsion –seizure (26.3%), pallor (10.3%), and loss of consciousness (3.2%). All the cases (100%) were tested for malaria, with RDT being the commonest (60.2%) technique used, while 71 (18.83%) cases received intra-artesunate, 24 (6.36%) received intravenous quinine. 125 (33.16%) children fully recovered, with 87 (23.08%) discharge cases, and 41 (19.80%) received a follow-up dose of ACT. However, a mortality rate of 26.79% was observed. The pattern of managing severe malaria in this study resulted in improved quality of life in above half of the studied population. However, a higher rate is possible should health workers be given more on-the-job supervision. Besides, further study would be required to ascertain the source of knowledge of severe malaria management in the region.

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