Knowledge and attitudes of Tunisian dog owners regarding leishmaniasis

Abstract

BackgroundVisceral leishmaniasis is a zoonotic disease of major public health concern in several countries in the world. The local population awareness would improve prevention, early detection and treatment of both human and animal leishmaniasis.MethodsThe aim of this survey was to assess the knowledge about visceral leishmaniasis in a sample of dog owners visiting the National School of Veterinary Medicine of Sidi Thabet, Tunisia, through a structured questionnaire.FindingsTwo hundred dog owners were interviewed, 87% were men and 47% had higher education level. Ninety four per cent were from neighbouring districts to Ariana, where the National School of Sidi Thabet is located. Out of 200 respondents, 79 confirmed knowing leishmaniasis. The correct answers concerning canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL) (77%) were significantly higher than those concerning human visceral leishmaniasis (HVL) (23%). Correct answers concerning CVL were given in part by previously diseased dogs' owners. The respondent could not explain what is exactly leishmaniasis, but the majority of questioned persons know that human and dogs are the most important hosts. Forty-four out 79 (56%) of the persons think that mosquitoes or insects are the vectors of leishmaniasis and 63% (53/79) knows that it is a zoonotic disease but 72% (38/53) were not able to define how.ConclusionDespite the frequent visits to veterinarians for vaccination or other medical issues and their long experience in dog breeding, the sample of dog owners had not enough knowledge and several misconceptions regarding leishmaniasis. Large education programmes should be implemented in Tunisia to improve the knowledge of the Tunisian population, especially dog owners, concerning leishmaniasis.

Knowledge, Practice, and Behavior of University Students Concerning Sandfly Vectors of Leishmaniasis in Fez City, Central North Morocco

“…This is a good indicator of the reliability and consistency of responses to a questionnaire, as it was considered reliable when Cronbach's alpha value was higher than 70%. 37,38 Pearson's Chisquare (X 2 ) test was also used to assess associations between independent variables with more than two categories and dependent variables. A statistically significant association was considered to exist when the p-value was less than 0.05 at the 95% confidence level.…”