Knowledge of Lassa Fever and Its Determinants among Traders in Izzi Community in South-East Nigeria

Abstract

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.

Knowledge and risk perception towards Lassa fever infection among residents of affected communities in Ebonyi State, Nigeria: implications for risk communication

“…The high awareness of LF could be because of the high sensitization and awareness campaign about the infection during past epidemics in the state[20]. This finding was similar to a previous study byNwonwu et al in Izzi, Ebonyi state[16]. Olowoere et al also reported a poor knowledge of LF by respondents in Ile Ife…”

“…We included all consenting adults who were present at homes at the time of the study while adults who were too sick to participate were excluded. Using the formula for the estimation of sample size for single independent proportion, ðn ¼ Zα 2 pq d 2 ) [15], and the prevalence of good knowledge in an earlier study of 30% [16], Z α of 1.96 at 95% confidence level and a precision of 5%, a minimum sample size of 323 was calculated. After correcting for 10% non-response, a sample size of 356 was used in the study.…”

Knowledge and preventive practices against Lassa fever among heads of households in Abakaliki metropolis, Southeast Nigeria: A cross-sectional study

“…In a study in a rural community, the majority (79.4%) were also aware of Lassa fever. 11 A similar high proportion of respondents among members of staff 15 and students 16 of a tertiary institution in Nigeria and among adults in a rural community 17 were aware of Lassa fever. Furthermore, in a study in Northeast Nigeria, 59% were aware of Lassa fever.…”

“…In a study in a rural community, radio was the major source of information. 11 In studies in other geo-political zones of Nigeria, including South South, 17 North Central 20 and Southwest Nigeria, 19,21,22 mass media remained the major source of information on Lassa fever. This is commendable and could be attributed to the efforts of the government and other agencies in curtailing outbreaks of Lassa fever, since the disease is epidemic prone.…”

“…10 This is based on the expectation that good knowledge of Lassa fever and adequate preventive measures for the disease could reduce the rate and spread of Lassa virus infection. 11 This study was designed to determine the knowledge and preventive practices against Lassa fever among heads of households in Abakaliki metropolis, Southeast Nigeria.…”