The response strategies contained the epidemic. Challenges to control efforts included poor local laboratory capacity, inadequate/poor quality of protective materials, fear among health workers, and inadequate emergency preparedness.
Introduction
the coronavirus disease COVID-19 pandemic has affected the way we live. The use of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPI) has been reported to be effective in controlling similar respiratory diseases outbreak in the past and is being used as one of the mainstays of control of the pandemic. We therefore assessed the knowledge and practice of preventive measures against COVID-19 among adults in Enugu metropolis during the outbreak in the State.
Methods
we conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study among 320 adults who were recruited through a multistage sampling technique. We used semi-structured interviewer-administered questionnaire to collect information on the knowledge and preventive practices against COVID-19. The data were analyzed using the IBM-SPSS version 25.
Results
the mean age of the participants was 41.6±12.5 years. There were 168 (52.5%) male, 69.7% had attained tertiary education and 57.8% were self-employed. Overall, 256 (80.0%) of the respondents had good knowledge about COVID-19. Only 133 (41.6%) had good practice of preventive measures among respondents. The more commonly practiced NPIs among the respondents were use of alcohol hand sanitizer (86.6%), physical distancing (85.6%), washing of hands with soap and water (81.6%) and disinfecting frequently touched surfaces (80.9%). The NPIs the respondents practiced poorly were use of face mask (33.8%) and avoidance of crowded areas (47.2%). Having good knowledge (aOR: 3.2; 95% CI: 1.65 - 6.05) and attaining secondary education or less (aOR: 2; 95%CI: 10-3.13) were the only predictors of good practice of preventive measures.
Conclusion
the highly educated segment of the population needs to be targeted with appropriate messages to improve their adoption of the right preventive measures against COVID-19.
Background: Lassa fever is a viral hemorrhagic fever found predominantly in West Africa with the potential to cause approximately 5,000 deaths per year. However, good knowledge of the disease may reduce the infection rate. The study assessed the knowledge of Lassa fever and its determinants among traders in Izzi community Ebonyi State, Nigeria. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 248 traders selected by simple random sampling method. Data were collected from respondents who gave their informed consent using interviewer-administered semi-structured questionnaire and analyzed using Chisquare test (Fisher's exact test where appropriate) for categorical variables and binary logistic regression for predictors of the outcome variables. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05 Results: Most of the respondents (40%) were within the age group of 21 -30 years. Majority of the
Original Research Articletraders were females (64.1%), married (64.1%) and predominantly Christians (97.2%). A large proportion of the respondents (43.1%) had secondary education level, and 10.1% had no formal education. Awareness of Lassa fever was high 197 (79.4%) among the traders. The commonest source of information was radio 152 (61.3%), and only 15% of the respondents heard about Lassa fever from health workers. Overall knowledge of Lassa fever was poor: 173 (70%) of the traders had poor knowledge, and only 53 (21.4%) had excellent knowledge. Majority of the traders 160 (64.5%) ate rat's meat. Factors found to be significantly associated with knowledge of Lassa fever include gender, educational status, and consumption of rat. Predictors of adequate knowledge include male gender and completing tertiary education.
Conclusion:The high level of awareness of Lassa fever in this study did not translate to adequate knowledge of the disease. The poor level of knowledge points towards a growing need to step up not just awareness of Lassa fever but also in-depth knowledge of the causes, mode of transmission and prevention of the disease through public education with special access to the female cohort.
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