Assessment of knowledge on Lassa fever disease among caregivers presenting to a tertiary Institution in a Lassa fever endemic region, Southeast Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Lassa fever disease is an infectious disease with high case fatality occurring in countries in West, Central, and East Africa. It is endemic in Nigeria and Ebonyi State, Southeast Nigeria. Knowledge of the cause, mode of transmission, and clinical presentations are invaluable in disease prevention and control.Objective: The study was therefore aimed at assessing the level of knowledge of Lassa fever disease among caregivers that presented at children out-patient in a tertiary hospital in Ebonyi State.Methods: It was a hospital-based cross-sectional study carried out within 6 months (May-October 2018 ) . An Interviewer - administered questionnaire was used to obtain information on socio-demographics and level of knowledge on Lassa fever disease.Results: Although 356 (92.7%) of the 384 respondents have heard of Lassa fever disease, only 205 (53.4%) had good knowledge of the disease. The mean age of participants was 33.22 ± 7.53; male to female ratio 1:2.4. Respondents within 36 and 45 years were rated highest (65.0%) in good knowledge of the disease. More males (61.9%) than females (49.8%) knew about Lassa fever disease. Similarly, caregivers (67.7%) from the upper socioeconomic class had better knowledge of the disease compared to 43.0% observed among their colleagues in the lower socioeconomic class. There were significant relationships between knowledge of Lassa fever disease and age (p= 0.026), gender (p=0.030), and socio-economic class (p< 0.001).Conclusion: There is a huge gap in knowledge of Lassa fever disease among participants especially among female caregivers and those of lower socio-economic class. Public enlightenment on Lassa fever disease should be intensified in these groups of people