Community members' knowledge, attitude, and practices towards Ebola virus prevention in the Western Province of Rwanda.

Abstract

Background: The Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) for decades has been a public health concern in some parts of the world especially in East, Central, and West Africa. Despite investment in improving community members' health, there is regular resistance to available intervention, with little literature describing the reasons. This necessitated exploring knowledge, attitude, and practices of community members' towards the EVD prevention strategies in the Western Province of Rwanda.

Methods: Authors present qualitative data from a mixed-method survey of the UMURINZI program conducted in Rubavu and Rusizi districts of Rwanda. Respondents' were purposefully chosen for the study and verbally consented to participate. Data was mainly collected between July and August 2020 in the Rwandan native language Kinyarwanda which was later transcribed and translated into English. All quantitative data analysis of respondents' socio-demographic characteristics were performed in STATA version 25. ATLAS Ti version 5.1 was used to summarize qualitative data (Focus Group Discussions (FDGs) and In-Depth Interviews (IDIs)), using a deductive approach. Ethical approval for the study was obtained from the Rwanda National Ethics Committee.

Results: A total of 165 participated. Among those who took part in the FGDs,  n=115 (69.70%) were male and had at least secondary education n=80 (48.48%). Among the 19 IDIs respondents, n= 11 (57.89%) came from Rusizi and were mostly n=13 (68.42%) men. Majority of them n=14 (73.68%) had a bachelor degree level of education. Our study found that participants were aware of EVD and the UMURINZI program due to community-based awareness activities. Despite knowing what EVD was, some were hesitant to be vaccinated for religious or personal beliefs and unfounded rumors. Through community engagement and mobilization efforts, community members started practicing desirable behaviors towards EVD prevention.

Conclusion: Our study found that some respondents were aware of EVD and the UMURINZI program, and had started to adopt the positive attitudes and practices suggested by program supporters. We propose that similar initiatives; effective community engagement and mobilization be used to maximize desired behavior.