Quelles ressources familiales financent la santé des enfants ?. Les difficultés du recours aux soins pour traiter le paludisme en milieu rural sénégalais

This study is about mobilizing resources in case of possibly malarial fever in children aged under 10 years and its consequences on the health care seeking behavior. The research methods are participative observation and non-directive interviews with 20 households of rural Senegal. All the household?s resources can?t be mobilized to treat a child fever and the lack of monetary availability certainly slows down the health care seeking. Various activities practised in addition to the traditional activities of the inhabitants of the studied area provide more support for effectively handling a fever. The financial management of the children?s health is the responsibility of both father and mother. But the behaviour of the mothers of the most ?destitute? families makes them more efficient in the quick pharmaceutical treatment of their children?s fever. The parents still see the children?s fever as a non-serious symptom. They don?t mobilize the solidarity of their community to finance its treatment. Nevertheless, with the action of biomedicine and campaigns against malaria, the perceptions of people are gradually changing. All these factors need to be taken into account to efficiently fight against malaria, one of the major public health concerns in Africa.