02092nas a2200277   4500000000100000008004100001260003400042653001400076653001700090100001500107700001100122700001200133700001600145700001400161700001400175700001600189700001400205700001600219700001400235245014400249856005300393300001000446490000600456050001800462520133400480       2013                            d  c01bPublic Library of Science10aTreatment10aBuruli ulcer1 aAlferink M1 aWerf T1 aSopoh G1 aAgossadou D1 aBarogui Y1 aAssouto F1 aAgossadou C1 aStewart R1 aStienstra Y1 aRanchor A00aPerceptions on the effectiveness of treatment and the timeline of Buruli Ulcer influence pre-hospital delay reported by healthy individuals  uhttp://dx.doi.org/10.1371%2Fjournal.pntd.0002014  ae20140 v7  aALFERINK 20133 aabstract = {<title>Author Summary</title><p>Delay in seeking treatment for Buruli ulcer (BU) is a major challenge in current BU control. Research to date shows that several factors relate to delay, including a lack of knowledge about BU and its treatment, beliefs in a supernatural cause of the disease, feelings of fear and worry regarding the treatment, fear of surgery, direct and indirect costs, social isolation as a consequence of unbearable costs to the patients' family, a lack of confidence in the treatment, and stigma. This study focused upon the relationship between Illness perceptions and pre-hospital delay by using the Illness Perceptions Model of Moss-Morris <italic>et al</italic> in a sample of healthy community members living in 3 endemic areas for Buruli ulcer in Benin. We found that a chronic timeline perspective on Buruli ulcer and a higher perceived effectiveness of the treatment were independently associated with pre-hospital delay. The available dominant treatment modality in endemic areas (surgery or antibiotics) did not influence pre-hospital delay, a finding contrary to the previous suggestion that a fear of surgery would be related to delay in presenting to the hospital. This study has identified several individual characteristics which can form the basis of future interventions.</p>},