Knowledge and attitude towards Lassa fever and its prevention among adults in Kosofe Local Government Area, Lagos State

Abstract

Background: Lassa fever is an acute viral illness endemic in parts of West Africa such as Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea and Nigeria. Estimates of Lassa fever infections per year in West Africa are about 100,000 to 300,000 with approximately 5,000 deaths.

Objectives: This study was carried out to determine the knowledge and attitude towards Lassa fever and its prevention among adults in Kosofe Local Government Area, Lagos state, Nigeria.

Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study, a total of 240 respondents were recruited using multi-stage sampling technique. Interviewer-administered structured questionnaires were administered. Data was analyzed using EPI Info Version 7 statistical software.

Results: Only 4.2% of the respondents had good knowledge of Lassa fever and 92.1% had positive attitude towards the prevention of the disease. Almost all (90.8%) of the respondents had rats/rodents move freely in and around their house. More than four-fifth of the respondents (81.3%) saw a rat in their house in the last 24 hours. However, most (79.2%) of the respondents had good prevention practices. Most of the respondents who had secondary and tertiary education had positive attitude towards Lassa fever (p=0.006).

Conclusion: There is need for an educational intervention to help improve the community knowledge of Lassa fever and also their environmental hygiene, which may in turn prevent them from contracting the disease.

Keywords: Attitude, Environmental Hygiene, Knowledge, Lassa Fever, Prevention Practices