Assessment of the knowledge, attitude, and practice related to visceral leishmaniasis among residents of Al-Suwaira city, Wasit Governorate, Middle East of Iraq
Vol. 63 No. 3 (2022), Infectious Diseases
Vol. 63 No. 3 (2022)

Assessment of the knowledge, attitude, and practice related to visceral leishmaniasis among residents of Al-Suwaira city, Wasit Governorate, Middle East of Iraq

Infectious Diseases
https://doi.org/10.15167/2421-4248/jpmh2022.63.3.2573
Published 2022-10-27
Manal Hadi Ghaffoori Kanaan
Technical Institute of Suwaria, Middle Technical University, Baghdad, Iraq
Israa Dawood Salim
Ahmad M. Tarek
Sura Saad Abdullah
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Keywords

Practice, Attitude, Knowledge, Visceral leishmaniasis, Iraq

Abstract

Introduction: It is important to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practice (KAP) towards visceral leishmaniasis (VL) to implement an effective control program. Hence, this study aimed to shed light in KAP among residents at Al-Suwaira city, Wasit Governorate, Middle East of Iraq.

Methods: During March to May 2021, a cross-sectional study was done on 121 randomly selected residents. A normal self-administered questionnaire was used to measure the KAP. The results were expressed using descriptive analysis.

Results: Overall, participants indicated average knowledge towards VL. However, the incubation period of VL (23.9%), the symptoms of VL (57.9%), and the diseases' transmission ways (54.5%) were recognized as knowledge gaps. The participants had favorable attitude towards VL, as majority of them (more than 70.0%) agreed that VL causes health problems in the local populations and local communities should be actively involved in the fight against VL. Also, majority of the participants agreed that VL is a treatable. Regarding practice towards VL, 110 (90.9%) participants had used preventive measures against sand fly bites. The majority of people (44.6%) chose cleanliness as a disease-prevention technique. The main sources of information used by participants to educate themselves about the condition were the internet (57.0%) and television (19.8%).

Conclusion: Overall, the participants had good knowledge, positive attitudes, and good practice when it came to VL prevention. However, there were some gaps. Hence, it is recommended that knowledge-based strategies be strengthened and rigorously rolled out in order to raise awareness among the residents of the region.

https://doi.org/10.15167/2421-4248/jpmh2022.63.3.2573
pdf

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