Effect of Covid on Malaria Interventions in Mutasa District, Manicaland Province 2019-2022

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic is disrupting critical health services and undermining years of progress fighting other deadly diseases, such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), tuberculosis (TB), and malaria, which continue to be the leading causes of death in the region. Attainment of critical health services delivery was noted to have been compromised to include promotion and education, which was a prelude to programme implementation. A mixed qualitative and analytical cross-sectional study was carried out to determine the effects the COVID 19 scourge had caused in malaria interventions in Mutasa District from 2019 to 2022. The objectives of the study determined how COVID 19 affected malaria programming, social behaviour communication change (SBCC), indoor residual spraying (IRS), intermittent preventive treatment for malaria (IPTp) and case management Mutasa district. Simple random sampling was conducted using record review of data on COVID 19, malaria data and activities for the period during COVID 19 and pre-COVID19 with a sample size of 378. Systematic sampling was engaged in the selection of health facilities. Questionnaires and interviews with both open and close-ended questions were used to collect data. The data collection tools were pre-tested at Mupotedzi clinic in the district. The results highlighted that those receiving SBCC messages on IRS reduced by 50% during the Covid period compared to pre – Covid period [pOR 0.5; 95% CI 0.01 – 1.4; p=0.004], with a statistical p-value of 0.004, which is significant, while for IPTp was statistically insignificant with a p-value of 0.1. Participation in IRS meetings came down by approximately 40% during the Covid period [pOR 0.6; 95% CI 0.4 – 1.0; p=0.003], while household spraying fell by 66% during the Covid period, with p<0.001[pOR 0.34; 95% CI 0.2 – 0.4; p<0.001]. IPTp and case management were not significant (p values 0.40 and 0.06 respectively) while, a shift to community services for both respectively were statistically significant at 95% CI, with p values of 0.01 and 0.02. The findings of this study suggest the need to institute tailor-made health promotions to cater for diverse community settings during the pandemic, decentralisation of IPTp and case management services to the community health workers and institute further detailed consultation on the IRS uptake in the community.