Tehran University of Medical Sciences Journal of Arthropod-Borne Diseases 2322-1984 13 1 2018 10 12 1098 1098 Khodamorad Soofi Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Faculty of Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran Narges Khanjani Research Center for Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran Fatemeh Kamiabi Department of Environmental Health and Medical Entomology, Faculty of Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran 2019 04 20 Background: Despite all the efforts made to control and eliminate malaria in Iran, this disease is still considered as a priority health problem in the South East of Iran. We aimed to determine the cultural obstacles which have prevented the elimina­tion of malaria in this region. Method: This study was carried out through qualitative content analysis. Purposeful sampling was done from people who had malaria or were involved with malaria patients in 2015, in Sarbaz City, Sistan and Baluchestan Province, Eastern Iran. Data were collected through interviews using open questions and continued until data saturation. Results: The most important barriers in malaria prevention was delay in visiting health centers, delay in diagnosis and treatment due to superstitious beliefs, lack of information about the disease, misdiagnosis and fake doctors. Other obstacles were lack of trust and cooperation with interventions offered by the health system, lack of proper use of the available facilities to prevent malaria and commuting in the high-risk neighbor countries. Conclusion: Raising awareness in people, officials and health workers about malaria and preventive health interven­tions as well as health risks associated with fake doctors, following up and re-examination of peripheral blood smear in suspected cases, establishing malaria control stations in border areas and specific measures to refer immigrants and people crossing the border toward malaria diagnosis stations is suggested. https://jad.tums.ac.ir/index.php/jad/article/view/1098 https://jad.tums.ac.ir/index.php/jad/article/download/1098/444