Assessing the Knowledge, Awareness, and Preventive Particles of Dengue Fever in Beled Hawo District, Somalia

Abstract

Dengue fever is a viral infection transmitted by mosquitoes, particularly in tropical and sub-tropical environments. The rising prevalence of the disease is posing a significant threat to public health across Sub-Saharan Africa. The primary goal of the study is to evaluate the level of knowledge and awareness as well as the preventive measures implemented in the Beled Hawo district of Gedo, Somalia. Methodology: A cross-sectional study design was used for the investigations, and a structured questionnaire was used to gather sociodemographic data as well as knowledge-based dengue fever treatment and prevention practices among the residents of Beled Hawo District. Findings: The results indicate that a majority of 78.1% and 86.4% of the respondents were knowledageble and had a reasonable understanding of the disease respectively. Notwithstanding this, a majority of them were mistaken about the peak biting period of the Aedes mosquito. In addition, 61 percent of responses identified fever as a typical disease symptom. Futhermore, some had the wrong impression of the preventive measures as more than 17% of those surveyed failed to mention environmental cleanup as a mitigating strategy. The study results may be useful to local authorities and healthcare institutions as it provides information on the gravity of the dengue problem in particular pockets of Beled Hawo district, thus aid in informing them on necesary mitigation measures and local health programming strategies. The study may also inform policy makers at the Ministry of health and health departments. The study shall also contribute to the academia and serve as a source of literature in guiding future researches.