Cost Effectiveness and Pattern of Personal Protective Measures used against Mosquitoes in a Rural Coastal Region of Ernakulam District in Kerala

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Mosquito borne diseases including Dengue, Chickungunya, Malaria, Japanese encephalitis, Filariasis, Zika fever and Yellow fever are a growing public health concern. The state of Kerala in Southern India has been a hot bed for vector borne diseases with epidemics of Dengue and Chikungunya in 2003 and 2006 respectively. The present study was undertaken in a rural panchayath in Ernakulam district with an aim to understand the pattern of use of personal protection measures against mosquitoes, its socio-demographic determinants and the economic burden it imposes.

Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted in June 2015 in Elamkunnapuzha Panchayath, a rural coastal area located in Ernakulam District of Kerala in Southern India. 200 households were visited using multistage sampling technique using pretested semi-structured questionnaire. Data was entered in MS Excel and data analysis done in Statistical Package for Social Science version 19. Ethical approval was obtained from the institutional ethical committee.

Results: Among the 194 families consented to share data, more than two-third (68%) of the study households experienced mosquito menace. 94.8% of the households used PPM, but only 67.5% of the households used on a daily basis. The most commonly used PPM among the study households were vaporizer (52.1%) followed by coil (42.3%) and fumes (19.1%). Mosquito menace and expenditure showed association with various factors.

Conclusion: Personal protective measures remain the corner stone of integrated vector management. PPM shall remain significant even in the wake of development of vaccines against mosquito-borne diseases.