Study of knowledge, attitude and anxiety in Kurdistan-region of Iraqi population during the monkeypox outbreak in 2022: An online cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background On July 23, the WHO declared the rapidly spreading monkeypox (MPX) epidemic as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). This study attempted to assess the knowledge, attitude, and anxiety levels of the general population during the MPX outbreak. Methods An online cross-sectional survey was conducted during the period July 27 and July 30, 2022, using a convenience sampling method. The questionnaire was adapted and developed after an in-depth review of the previous studies. Results A total of 510 respondents participated in this study. 277 (54.3%) were male, 233 (45.7%) were female. Participants had insufficient knowledge of MPX with a mean and SD deviation 2.096 ± 1.359, 2.576 ± 1.466, having a normal attitude toward MPX 4.031 ± 1.645. Moreover, they had anxiety problems 32.382 ± 10.094. There were significant differences in the mean rank scores of the knowledge of respondents about MPX according to their gender, marital status, religion, level of education, and place of residence, with p-values of 0.009, 0.000, 0.000, 0.000, and 0.000, respectively. Also, there were significant differences in the mean rank scores of attitudes of respondents toward MPX according to their gender, level of education, place of residence, and age, with p-values of 0.011, 0.020, and 0.000, 0,029, respectively. Lastly, there were significant differences in the mean rank score of anxiety of respondents toward MPX according to their gender, marital status, religion, level of education, and place of residence, with p-values of 0.000, 0.009, 0.000, 0.000, and 0.000 respectively. Conclusion There is an urgent need to raise public awareness and manage people's emotional wellbeing. Taking into account the alarming scenario of rapid rise in MPX cases in many countries, any feasible pandemic probability of this disease amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, proactive control measures, necessary preventive strategies and preparedness plans need to be executed on priority to counteract this global health emergency as well as safeguard the mental health of the general public. Appropriate policies and effectively prevent and control strategies along with disseminating correct information would explicitly help in counteracting MPX outbreaks and avoiding the infodemic's misinformation and disinformations which could pose unwarranted high fears and panic, and ultimately aid in safeguarding the mental health of the people.

Public Knowledge and Perceptions about the Emerging Human Mpox in Jordan: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…Social media was the most comprehensive source of information about mpox, as reported by the study participants. This is consistent with similar studies conducted in eight Middle Eastern countries [ 20 ], as well as in the Kurdistan region of Iraq [ 21 ], Lebanon [ 23 ] and Saudi Arabia [ 4 ]. Additionally, in Czeck, social media was the second-most utilized source of information about human mpox [ 24 ].…”

“…It was noted in previous studies that epidemics and pandemics cause fear in the general population and restrict their activities [ 18 , 19 , 20 ]. Fear and anxiety from mpox spread were reported among the Iraqi population in Kurdistan [ 21 ] and Saudi Arabia [ 22 ]. But, in Saudi Arabia, mpox caused less worry than COVID-19 among the general population [ 22 ].…”

“…In the current study, the participants showed a low median knowledge score (4.0 out of 15.0, with around half of them knowing the mpox mode of transmission and its symptoms. The general population’s knowledge about mpox was assessed in various studies, including in the Kurdistan-region of Iraq, Lebanon, and Czech, where it was found that those studies participants had insufficient knowledge [ 21 , 23 , 24 ]. While in studies conducted in Saudi Arabia and Jordan, the participants had satisfactory knowledge [ 3 , 4 , 22 ].…”

Monkeypox Cross-Sectional Survey of Knowledge, Attitudes, Practices, and Willingness to Vaccinate among University Students in Pakistan

“…In general, 76.7% of the study participants had average knowledge, and only 6.3% had good knowledge regarding Mpox disease, its transmission, prevention, and treatment. The present study results align with previous studies revealing defects in knowledge regarding Mpox disease between Italian physicians, Jordanian and Kuwaiti healthcare workers, the general public in Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and Iraq, and medical students from various countries [ 1 , 23 , 24 , 25 ]. A study from Saudi Arabia reported that the overall knowledge regarding Mpox disease was poor among the general public and more than half of the respondents had low knowledge about Mpox [ 26 ].…”

“…Moreover, there was a significant association between attitudes toward Mpox with gender, age groups, academic degree, and discipline. For example, a study from Iraq reported a better knowledge about Mpox disease among males in the general population [ 24 ]. Regarding attitudes, it was reported that attitudes change according to age, level of education, gender, and region of the participants.…”