Table 2 Health seeking behaviour, access to diagnosis, treatment and preventive services and risk factors for kala-azar (n = 50 kala-azar patients, unless stated otherwise)
Characteristics | N | % |
|---|---|---|
Health seeking behaviour and access to services | ||
Type of health facility where care was first sought for fever | ||
 Government PHC/ Government District hospital | 6 | 12 |
 Quack (unqualified practitioner) | 18 | 36 |
 Private qualified physician | 19 | 38 |
 Didn’t contact anyone (found first on active case search) | 6 | 12 |
Type of first health facility contact in context of migration | ||
 With migration | 10 | 20 |
 Without migration | 40 | 80 |
Place of diagnosis of kala-azar | ||
 District hospital | 33 | 66 |
 In village during active case search | 15 | 30 |
 Others (private facility) | 2 | 4 |
Person who motivated to get tested for kala-azar | ||
 ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) | 34 | 78 |
 ANM (Auxiliary Nursing Midwife) | 13 | 26 |
 Self | 2 | 4 |
 Another community member | 1 | 2 |
Informed about single day treatment after diagnosis | 41 | 82 |
Informed about monetary incentive of Rs 7100 (USD 100) | 44 | 88 |
Received monetary incentive (n = 45) | 36 | 80 |
Focal spray conducted within 2 weeks of fever onset | 20 | 40 |
Quality of spray in preceding focal IRS of May 2017 (n = 42) | ||
 All rooms and animal shelter(s) spayed | 21 | 50 |
 One or more rooms or animal shelter(s) missed | 21 | 50 |
Health worker asked for history of fever among other family members | 46 | 92 |
Awareness | ||
Awareness regarding mode of spread of Kala-azar | ||
 Through sandfly bite | 16 | 32 |
 Through mosquito bite | 12 | 24 |
 Through dirty water | 21 | 42 |
 Directly from infected person | 1 | 2 |
Awareness regarding duration for which walls should not be smeared or painted after IRS | ||
 More than 90 days | 0 | 0 |
 60–90 days | 12 | 24 |
 Less than 60 days | 13 | 26 |
 Don’t know | 25 | 50 |
Having awareness that animal shelter spraying is necessary for kala-azar prevention | 31 | 62 |
Risk factors for kala-azar | ||
Illiteracy | 43 | 86 |
Belonging to scheduled caste | 46 | 92 |
Occupation – labourer | 28 | 56 |
Migration | 29 | 58 |
Poverty (Per capita income per month < Rs 1000) | 43 | 86 |
Domestic animal ownership | 16 | 32 |
Animal shelter location within house | 7 | 14 |
Residing in thatched mud house without windows (kutcha house) | 26 | 52 |
Sleeping in room with unplastered walls | 45 | 90 |
Sleeping on floor | 24 | 48 |
Non-use of mosquito net | 40 | 80 |