Community Health Screening Models for Malaria Prevention Among Senegalese Refugees Utilising Traditional Knowledge in Kenya 2009

Malaria remains a significant public health issue in many African countries, particularly among vulnerable populations such as refugees. A mixed-methods approach involving qualitative interviews, focus groups, and quantitative surveys was employed to gather data from refugee communities and health workers. Traditional knowledge about malaria prevention methods was documented and analysed using thematic content analysis. Traditional practices identified include the use of certain plants for fever reduction and the timing of traditional ceremonies related to seasonal rains as indicators of malaria risk. A preliminary model incorporating these factors showed a sensitivity of 85% in identifying individuals at high malaria risk. The study highlighted the importance of integrating traditional knowledge with modern health screening methods to improve malaria prevention strategies among refugee populations. Health programmes should incorporate local traditional practices into their screening models and promote community engagement for sustainable malaria control efforts. Malaria, refugees, Senegal, Kenya, traditional medicine, screening model Treatment effect was estimated with $\text{logit}(p_i)=\beta_0+\beta^\top X_i$, and uncertainty reported using confidence-interval based inference.