AWARENESS, KNOWLEDGE AND PREVENTIVE MEASURES AGAINST LASSA FEVER AMONG RESIDENTS IN CALABAR METROPOLIS

ABSTRACTThis study was aimed at assessing the awareness, knowledge and preventive measures against Lassa fever among residents in Calabar Metropolis, Cross River State, Nigeria. The specific objectives of the study were to determine; awareness level of Lassa fever, knowledge level about Lassa fever, preventive practices against Lassa fever and attitude of residents in Calabar Metropolis towards preventive practices against Lassa fever. A descriptive cross-sectional study design was adopted for the study. A multi-stage sampling procedure was used to randomly select 300 study participants for the study. Data were collected using a semi-structured questionnaire and thereafter, information generated were synthesized, coded and entered into the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 20 for analysis. Results were expressed in simple percentages and presented in tables and charts. The results obtained in this study showed that 225 (75.0%) respondents indicated that they have heard of Lassa fever of which health worker 88 (39.1%) was their main source of information. Most respondents 150 (53.3%) recorded poor knowledge of Lassa fever. Preventive practices against Lassa fever as highlighted by the respondents included; clearing bushes 123 (54.7%), proper covering and storage of food/food items 89 (39.6%) and blocking holes around the house 41 (18.2%). Most respondents 258 (86.0%) exhibited positive attitude towards Lassa fever while the remaining 42 (14.0%) demonstrated negative attitude. It is recommended that public health experts and health educators should liaise with community health workers to sensitize their community on emerging and re-emerging health issues (including Lassa fever). This would provide the platform for community members to access correct information about Lassa fever. KeywordsLassa fever: Lassa fever is an illness caused by Lassa virus which is found mostly in multimammate rat (rats that have many