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Introduction: community volunteers have limited skills but are an important link between the community and health facilities. We determined the effect of a capacity building intervention on knowledge of malaria control and attitudes towards community involvement among female community volunteers as part of a larger community-based intervention study on pregnant women and children under five. Methods: we conducted a before and after intervention study (no randomization or controls) among female community volunteers in Amagu community in Abakaliki Local Government Area. The intervention consisted of training sessions on knowledge of malaria and its control. The training took the form of lectures, role plays and practical demonstrations. Supportive supervision by trained community health extension workers was also provided during their field work. We compared pre-training test and post-training test scores after six months interval and analysed the data using paired t test at 5% level of significance with EPI INFO software version 7.2.3. Results: the mean age of the participants was 28.5(± 6.0) years. All had a minimum level of secondary education. There was significant improvement in the mean scores of their knowledge of malaria signs and symptoms (p < 0.001), preventive measures (p < 0.001) and appropriate drug treatment (p < 0.001) in the post-training test when compared with the pre-training test. The overall mean knowledge scores pre and posttest were 147.8 and 169.8 respectively (p < 0.001) out of a maximum achievable score of 195. Also there was significant improvement in the perception of the participants on community involvement in promoting referral of pregnant women with fever (p = 0.001), the use of intermittent preventive therapy with sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine (p = 0.048) and funding initiatives to sustain activities (p = 0.037). Conclusion: capacity building of female community volunteers coupled with supportive supervision by trained community health workers improved the female community volunteers´ knowledge of malaria, its control and their perception of community involvement in control activities. It is recommended that the use of community volunteers as a low cost health resource can be explored further for incorporation into existing policies on malaria control in resource constrained environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This study aimed to evaluate the knowledges and attitudes of community volunteers on Lassa and Ebola viral haemorrhagic fevers and their role in the implementation of activities for the prevention of these diseases. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional descriptive survey among community volunteers chosen by lot in 40 villages in the Donga Department. Children under five years of age with respiratory and diarrheal diseases and malaria were treated by these community volunteers in their home. An anonymous questionnaire was administered by direct interview. Data were analyzed using Epi-Info 3.5.1. Results: Out of 60 community volunteers potentially participating in this survey a total of 58 effectively participated. The average age of community volunteers was 38.7 ± 10.6 years with a sex-ratio of 3.5. The majority of the community volunteers were farmers (thirty-five, 60.3%) and resellers (thirteen, 22.4%). Forty-eight respondents (82.8%) recognized the two diseases as being serious, life-threatening and transmissible. The three main routes of transmission cited were the contact with or the consumption of bushmeat (87.9%), the direct contact with infected people (74.1%) or with their corpses (46.6%). The main preventive measures listed were related to the routes of transmission. Fever (81.0%), vomiting (81.0%) and diarrhea (60.3%) were at the top of the cited symptoms. Only twentytwo community volunteers (37.9%) had gloves but they rarely used them to examine sick children. As regards the procedure to follow in case of suspected Lassa or Ebola viral haemorrhagic fever, forty-one community volunteers (70.7%) would make use of community-based health workers without touching the patient, nine (15.5%) would call for the ambulance and eight (13.8%) would take the patient to the nearest health center using their own motorcycle or a motorcycle-taxi. Conclusion: Strengthening community volunteers' capacity to manage viral hemorrhagic fevers would contribute to the improvement of their knowledge of these life-threatening epidemics and to the quality of population health interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]