Assessment of Knowledge on Human Monkeypox Virus among General Population in Bangladesh: A Nationwide Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Introduction Monkeypox is a zoonotic Orthopox virus of the Poxviridae family. The general public should be well-informed about monkeypox to prevent the disease in the community effectively. Objective The study aimed to determine the public awareness level about monkeypox among the general community to provide information regarding future measures. Materials and Method The study's design was a cross-sectional observational study. From May to June 2022, a nationwide survey was conducted from Bangladesh's eight administrative divisions. Data were collected from participants through a semi-structured questionnaire, and using Cochran's formula determined the sample size. Data were collected via face-to-face interviews and analyzed using IBM SPSS v.25. Result Among the total of 1,711 respondents to the questionnaire, about 66.6% of the respondents (N=1139) were aware of monkeypox. Among those that were aware of monkeypox, almost two-thirds of the (66.6%) respondents had insufficient knowledge about the transmission pathways (0.71±0.73), vaccination (0.09±0.27), and the signs and symptoms of monkeypox (1.91±1.50). The majority of participants were unable to select the treatment of monkeypox (0.22±0.59). The factors affecting the knowledge level of monkeypox were educational status and occupation (p<0.001). Conclusion The general community has a minimal understanding of the spread of monkeypox and its prevention. This virus requires additional research on its epidemiology, ecology, and biology in endemic regions to be comprehended and prevented.

Socio-demographic determinants of monkeypox virus preventive behavior: a cross-sectional study in Pakistan

“…In agreement with the previous study, 36 our study reported a significantly good knowledge of MPXV among male participants. This may be connected to how MPXV is transmitted because the majority of cases in the most recent outbreak have mostly been reported among men who have had sex with men (MSM).…”

Fear of a new pandemic; perception and prediction towards monkeypox among Middle East general population: A multi-country cross sectional study

“…About 26.5% of the participants were unaware of the presence or absence of Moneypox in their nations (more information in Table 1). The other comparable studies stated that social media and the internet were the most common sources of knowledge, The respondents' knowledge of any cases of Monkeypox in Bangladesh was insu cient (31). Overall, social media was the most common source of knowledge for the population studied in Saudi Arabia (30).…”

“…In a study conducted on the general population of Saudi Arabia, participants were mostly females, with a mean age of 30 years, single, urban residents, had bachelors degrees, and a little more than half unemployed (30). Another study done in Bangladesh had the majority of its participants as men between 18 and 35, living in urban areas, and had graduate degrees (31).…”

“…Most respondents were generally unaware of the signs and symptoms of Monkeypox, As for paths of transmission, knowledge was graded on an overall score and participants did very poorly. The majority of the respondents knew that overseas travelers are a source imported cases of Monkeypox (31), In Saudi Arabia, the great majority of participants were aware that no instances had been recorded in Saudi Arabia. They also understood Monkeypox to be an infectious sickness.…”

“…In the study conducted on Bangladesh population, the poor awareness of the population with the disease's transmission routes subsequently lead to poor awareness with preventive methods. Added to that, most did know of a vaccine for Monkeypox or any cures for it (31). In Saudi Arabia, the most common mentioned preventive measures were face masks and hand sanitizers.…”