Traditional Beliefs, Practices, and Migration: A Risk to Malaria Transmission in Rural Nepal

Kiran Raj Awasthi (), Jonine Jancey, Archie C. A. Clements, Rohit Kumar Sah, Madan Prasad Koirala, Binaya Chalise and Justine E. Leavy
Additional contact information
Kiran Raj Awasthi: Curtin School of Population Health, Curtin University, GPO Box U1987, Perth, WA 6845, Australia
Jonine Jancey: Curtin School of Population Health, Curtin University, GPO Box U1987, Perth, WA 6845, Australia
Archie C. A. Clements: Curtin School of Population Health, Curtin University, GPO Box U1987, Perth, WA 6845, Australia
Rohit Kumar Sah: National Malaria Program, Karnali Province Field Office, Nepalgunj 21900, Nepal
Madan Prasad Koirala: National Malaria Program, Karnali Province Field Office, Nepalgunj 21900, Nepal
Binaya Chalise: Graduate School for International Development and Cooperation, Hiroshima University, Higasi-Hiroshima 739-8529, Japan
Justine E. Leavy: Curtin School of Population Health, Curtin University, GPO Box U1987, Perth, WA 6845, Australia

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 24, 1-11

Abstract: The study aimed to explore sociocultural factors influencing the risk of malaria and practices and beliefs towards malaria prevention, transmission and treatment in a remote village in Khatyad Rural Municipality (KRM) of Nepal. A sequential exploratory mixed methods approach was used. Qualitative data were collected through 25 one-on-one, in-depth interviews followed by a face-to-face household survey (n = 218) among people from a village in KRM believed to have a high risk of malaria. Traditional practices such as Chhaupadi requiring the seclusion of women during menstruation and post-partum, transhumance, and reliance on traditional healers for the management of malaria were common practices in the village. The household survey found 98.1% of women faced menstrual exile either inside the house or in a separate hut, with 64.2% not having access to Long-lasting Insecticidal Nets (LLINs). Hardships and economic constraints compelled villagers to migrate seasonally for work to malaria-endemic areas in India, thereby exposing themselves to the risk of malaria. Persistent traditional beliefs and seasonal migration could threaten the elimination goals set by the national malaria program.

Keywords: socio-cultural; malaria; prevention; control; Chhaupadi; migration; transmission (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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