Health-care seeking in case of the child's fever in the Sereer county in Senegal: economic constraint and illness perception

This study is about the influence of the household's economy on the health-seeking behaviour in case of possibly malarial fever for children aged less than 10 years old. The research methods are the participative observation and non-directive interviews with twenty households of rural Senegal. The economic situation of each household does not mainly determinate its health-seeking behaviour. All the households, in a first time, spend the less money they can and care their children at home. On the other hand, when the parents are aware of an aggravation, they don't hesitate to consult a specialist (biomedical or traditional) and they choose him according to their perceptions of the illness. The popular representations downplay fevers which occur during the rainy season and then explain that the first time of the illness is managed << on the minimum >> even though this is increase the risk of an evolution of the illness to its severe aspects.