Early diagnosis and treatment for malaria has a significant impact on the s
everity of the disease and contributes to the interruption of its transmiss
ion. Fourteen high-risk families and nine locality-matched families, with n
o recent history of malaria, participated in an ethnographic study which ai
med to document malaria episodes and to examine treatment paths for fevers
locally termed malarya and perceived to be malaria. The study, conducted in
Morong, Bataan, a low malaria endemic area in the Philippines, used a comb
ination of qualitative and quantitative methods over a period of 12 months.
Six treatment categories were identified; self-treatment with Western medi
cines and clinic consultations had almost equal frequencies. Twenty-six tre
atment paths were recognised which consisted of the six categories singly o
r in combination. More than 80% of the undiagnosed malarya a illnesses were
treated with antimalarials of inappropriate dosages. More adult men than w
omen self-treated, but there was no significant difference by gender in ter
ms of clinic consultation for illness. The majority of clinic consultations
were made for young children. The implications for control are discussed.
(C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.