Malaria is a parasitic disease transmitted when an infected female Anopheles mosquito feeds on humans. The most severe form of malaria is caused by parasites of the species Plasmodium falciparum. Cameroon’s response to malaria prevention is through the use of insecticide treated mosquito nets and indoor residual spraying. The objective of this study was to assess the level of malaria-related knowledge in school-going children. Specifically, this study set out to understand children’s knowledge about what malaria is, how it is transmitted, treatment seeking patterns, preventive measures. 384 school children aged between 7 and 16 from villages in Meme Division, in Cameroon took part in the study. A semi-structured questionnaire was administered to the children. The results of this study showed that 74.7% of the respondents were able to describe malaria as a disease caused by a parasite, 87.8% claimed possess a mosquito net (mostly obtained as a donation) even though not all said they slept in the mosquito net; 37.5% acknowledged road-vendors as main source of malaria drug purchases. The results of this study have revealed the knowledge that children have with respect to malaria. It has shown that the children are aware of what malaria is and the ways in which malaria can be transmitted. The results obtained are used to provide baseline knowledge about malaria in children and indicate areas to focus with respect to strengthening the knowledge as well as improving education about malaria.
