Perception of malaria risk and use of bed nets in Chad ABSTRACTThe use of Long Lasting Insecticidal-treated Nets (LLINs) and the seasonal malaria chemoprevention are efficient strategies in the fight against malaria. The objective of this survey is to assess the community knowledge about malaria and LLIN use. A descriptive households' survey has been conducted in Chad using questionnaires targeting the head of households. Data collected were entered in Access 2007, cleaned and validated during a workshop held in N'Djamena. Of the 2,000 people targeted, 1,388 (69.4%) responses satisfied all the criteria. 80.6% of the respondents declared owning a LLIN but only 37.6% of those state having used it the night prior to the interview. 68.2% of the respondents perceive malaria as dangerous for the F. H. YANDAÏ et al. / Int. J. Biol. Chem. Sci. 10(6): 2646-2654 2647 fetus and the pregnant women. 50.4% of the respondents state sleeping under the LLIN starting at 8 pm. This survey shows that despite being the first cause of out-patient visits in Chad, risks related to malaria are not fully perceived by the population. More than half of the respondents owning a LLIN did not sleep under it the night prior to the survey.

Malaria risk perception and use of bed nets in Chad ABSTRACTThe use of Long Lasting Insecticidal-treated Nets (LLINs) and the seasonal malaria chemoprevention are efficient strategies in the fight against malaria. The objective of this survey is to assess the community knowledge about malaria and LLIN use. A descriptive households' survey has been conducted in Chad using questionnaires targeting the head of households. Data collected were entered in Access 2007, cleaned and validated during a workshop held in N'Djamena. Of the 2,000 people targeted, 1,388 (69.4%) responses satisfied all the criteria. 80.6% of the respondents declared owning a LLIN but only 37.6% of those state F. H. YANDAÏ et al. / Int. J. Biol. Chem. Sci. 11(1): 228-236, 2017 229 having used it the night prior to the interview. 68.2% of the respondents perceive malaria as dangerous for the fetus and the pregnant women. 50.4% of the respondents state sleeping under the LLIN starting at 8 pm. This survey shows that despite being the first cause of out-patient visits in Chad, risks related to malaria are not fully perceived by the population. More than half of the respondents owning a LLIN did not sleep under it the night prior to the survey.