Assessment of Knowledge of Zika Virus Infection Among Health Care Professionals in a Southeastern State of Nigeria

Abstract

Objective: Zika virus infection is fast becoming a major public health concern in both developed and developing countries of the world because of its association with microcephaly and Guillain Barre Syndrome. Assessment of its knowledge and understanding among different healthcare practitioners are essential for prevention and control especially in developing countries such as Nigeria. Our aim was to assess the knowledge of the virus and its associated factors among healthcare professionals (HCPs). Methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted from June 10 to August 28, 2016, among health care professionals who were selected by nonprobability convenience sampling technique. The respondents were selected from various practice settings including academic institution, private and government hospitals in Enugu State, Nigeria. A validated and pilot tested 15 item questionnaire was used to evaluate respondents' knowledge of ZIKV infection. Descriptive statistics and chi-square were used to analyze respondents' level of knowledge and its associated factors using SPSS version 16. Results:Two hundred (200) respondents participated in this study with more than half (53.0%) being male, and most were either Physician or Pharmacist (59.5%). Our results also showed that most of the respondents (128, 64.0%) had poor knowledge of ZIKV infection. However, among the respondents assessed, the Pharmacists and the Physicians had better knowledge of the disease as the test statistics were statistically significant at X 2 =16.722, p=0.033. HCPs in the academia had better knowledge compared to those that are self-employed or practicing in private or government hospitals (X 2 =17.178, p=0.028). Conclusion:Our findings suggest that most of the HCPs assessed in this study had poor knowledge of ZIKV infection. However, professional status, place of service, and study site were found to be associated with the respondents' level of knowledge. Hence, through sensitization and awareness campaigns through the media, seminars, and workshops aimed at educating HCPs on the disease should be encouraged.

Knowledge, attitude, and practice toward Zika virus among staff of comprehensive health services centers affiliated with Tehran University of Medical Sciences in 2020

“…According to the results of the present study, the majority of the participants had a low level of knowledge about Zika virus (70.9%), which is consistent with studies on healthcare professionals in Nigeria (64%), 19 medical and health sciences students in UAE (62.8%), 5 medical students in Saudi Arabia (77.5%), 3 healthcare workers in Indonesia (74.1%), 11 nurses in Egypt (72.5%), 7 dental practitioners in India (61.8%) 20 . Poor knowledge of healthcare providers about Zika virus in the present study and other studies in other countries, 3,5,7,11,19,20 can be attributed to the fact that Zika is a new emerging disease and has not yet been included in the medical and health sciences curriculum 3,5,11 . Since in countries, such as Iran, Saudi Arabia, 3 and the UAE, 5 no case of Zika virus infection was reported at the time of the study, poor knowledge about the disease and its causative agent among healthcare students and workers was not unexpected.…”

“…Finally, their corrective comments were obtained and included in the questionnaire 3,7,17,18 . Cronbach's alpha coefficient and intra‐cluster correlation coefficient (ICC) were calculated to test the reliability of the questionnaires (test–retest for 20 subjects of the target group in 2 weeks interval) 17–19 . Those participated in the pilot study were excluded from the final study.…”

Zika Virus: Review of Current Status

“…Government of all countries along with the WHO and several other organizations are implementing programs to effectively eradicate ZIKV infection. Programs on assessing awareness among people are also necessary for effective functioning of Zika strategies [43]. Approval of vaccine can keep an end to the story of ZIKV.…”

Zika Virus: Knowledge, Attitude and Preventive Practices of Medical Doctors in a Tertiary Health Institution in Northern Nigeria

“…Medical doctors as gate keepers in the health care delivery system play a vital role in the dissemination of important health information, which is considered to be the most authentic source of health and other related information backed by informed knowledge. Therefore, it can be presumed that lack of sufficient knowledge can result in possible transmission of diseases [15][16][17][18][19][20].…”