Assessment of Knowledge of Monkeypox Viral Infection among the General Population in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Monkeypox is re-emerging and spreading over the world, posing a serious threat to human life, especially in non-endemic countries, including Saudi Arabia. Due to the paucity of research on knowledge about monkeypox in Saudi Arabia, this study aimed to evaluate the general population’s knowledge of monkeypox in a sample of the country. A web-based cross-sectional survey was conducted from 25 May 2022 to 15 July 2022. Participants’ knowledge about monkeypox on a 23-item scale and socio-demographic characteristics were gathered in the survey. Pearson’s Chi-square test was used to compare knowledge level (categorized into high and low) and explanatory variables. Out of 480, only 48% of the respondents had high knowledge (mean score > 14). Participants’ age, marital status, residential region, living in the urban area, education level, employment status, being a healthcare worker, income, and smoking status were significantly associated with the level of knowledge about monkeypox (p < 0.01). Overall, social media (75.0%) was the most frequently reported source from where participants obtained monkeypox-related information followed by TV and radio (45.6%), family or friend (15.6%), and healthcare provider (13.8%). We found that overall knowledge of monkeypox infection was slightly poor among the Saudi population. These findings highlight the urgent need for public education on monkeypox to promote awareness and engage the public ahead of the outbreak.

Assessing Healthcare Workers’ Knowledge and Their Confidence in the Diagnosis and Management of Human Monkeypox: A Cross-Sectional Study in a Middle Eastern Country

“…A recent HMPX KAP study by Matteo Riccò et al reported similar low levels of knowledge among Italian physicians [ 29 ]. Low levels of HMPX knowledge were also reported among the general public in Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and Kurdistan region of Iraq [ 55 , 56 , 57 ].…”

Medical Students’ Perception Regarding the Re-emerging Monkeypox Virus: An Institution-Based Cross-Sectional Study From Saudi Arabia

“…The different databases including EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and PubMed, and the websites of the CDC, WHO, and Google Scholar were searched until May 25, 2022 for published research. The most relevant articles were chosen to construct the questionnaire [5,17]. The content validity of the questionnaire was examined using the translation back-translation method.…”

“…There is a recent study done in Saudi Arabia conducted among medical practitioners about their knowledge of the monkeypox virus, its findings showed only 18.6% of them reported having some understanding of managing monkeypox [17]. Another recent study reported that knowledge of monkeypox infection was slightly poor among the Saudi population [5]. There are no studies conducted worldwide among medical students.…”

“…The incubation period of the monkeypox virus ranges from five to 21 days [5]. The disease is typically transmitted through contact with an infected animal's skin or body fluids, such as a monkey, rat, or squirrel.…”

The human monkeypox in Saudi Arabia and global tourism

“…There are other concerns, primarily the lack of sufficient knowledge about the pathogen among general population and healthcare workers [ 7 ]. Studies of earlier outbreaks, like the US, show doctors are not well-prepared to identify monkeypox infection.…”