Background: The
goal of this study is to examine health professionals' understanding of
leishmaniasis in order to establish the strengths and weaknesses in local
leishmaniasis control efforts, as well as to identify the factors that
contribute to underreporting of cases. This study also aims to reveal health
professionals' understanding of leishmaniasis, as well as their role in the
program's peripheral management and their experiences with leishmaniasis
patients. Morocco wants to be free of leishmaniasis by 2030. These conditions
can be cutaneous or visceral, and they constitute a major public health
concern. These parasites are being fought as part of a statewide leishmaniasis
control effort that includes free treatment. On the other hand, the screening rate
in public health facilities does not exceed 35%.
Objective: To
contribute to the analysis and understanding of the factors that contribute to
underreporting and the development of scientific recommendations to improve
leishmaniasis screening and control activities, determine the knowledge and
experience of social actors directly involved in the fight against
leishmaniasis.
Methods: During
April and May 2019, we performed an exploratory survey among all health
professionals working in public health structures in the province of ELHajeb in
central Morocco, using a self-administered questionnaire.
The majority of
health professionals had an excellent understanding of the clinical indicators
of each variety of leishmaniasis, but they had incorrect information about the
disease's true vector, reservoirs, and mechanism of transmission. Only 17
percent got ongoing education whereas 76 percent were aware of the national
leishmaniasis control programme. The curative parts of the programme were the
emphasis of 85 percent of these specialists. Patients do not adhere to
antileishmaniasis treatment in 47% of cases, and the populace uses the term
"Hboub of Chniwla" to refer to cutaneous leishmaniasis in 25% of
cases.
Conclusion: The study
found that operationalizing the leishmaniases control program's operations
reveals some flaws that explain the underscreening of cases. Improvement of
this condition necessitates the establishment of ongoing caregiver training and
citizen awareness-raising activities that should focus on the route of
transmission, reservoir prevention, sand flies bites, and detection of lesions
utilising the disease's popular names as a starting point.
Author(S) Details
K. El-Mouhdi
Scientific Institute,
Mohammed V University in Rabat, Morocco and ISPITS-Higher Institute of Nursing
Professions and Health Technics Meknes, Ministry of Health and Social
Protection, Morocco.
A. Chahlaoui
Natural Resources Management and Development Team, Laboratory of Health and
Environment, Faculty of Sciences, Moulay Ismail University, Meknes, Morocco.
M. Fekhaoui
Scientific Institute, Mohammed V University in Rabat, Morocco.
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