This study describes community members’ knowledge of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), their attitudes and preventive practices. A mixed methods approach was used. A random sample of 1028 community members aged 15 - 65 year...This study describes community members’ knowledge of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), their attitudes and preventive practices. A mixed methods approach was used. A random sample of 1028 community members aged 15 - 65 years was interviewed in a quantitative survey. This was complemented with a qualitative study involving 24 opinion leaders who were carefully selected. The study was conducted in Kintampo North and South districts of Ghana from August 2014 to October 2014. 83% of respondents had heard of EVD, but 62.5% did not know the duration between the time of infection and onset of clinical symptoms. The most popular symptom mentioned spontaneously was bleeding through body orifices (48.6%). Majority of respondents mentioned handshake or skin contact as a mode of transmission (57.3%) and reduced contact with bats as a means to prevent the spread of EVD (58.1%). Knowledge of transmission of body fluids such as faeces, blood or urine was low (<10%), though this varied significantly by socio-demographic group. Majority (94%) of respondents acknowledged that EVD was a serious disease, however, only 58% saw themselves at risk. Current preventive behaviours included: improved hand hygiene (83%) and avoidance of handshakes and physical contact with people (81%). Community members in the Kintampo districts have high level of awareness of EVD, but important gaps in knowledge of EVD still exist, especially concerning body fluids as a mode of transmission. There is the need to intensify educational messages as part of Ghana’s preparedness towards a potential EVD outbreak.展开更多
文摘This study describes community members’ knowledge of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), their attitudes and preventive practices. A mixed methods approach was used. A random sample of 1028 community members aged 15 - 65 years was interviewed in a quantitative survey. This was complemented with a qualitative study involving 24 opinion leaders who were carefully selected. The study was conducted in Kintampo North and South districts of Ghana from August 2014 to October 2014. 83% of respondents had heard of EVD, but 62.5% did not know the duration between the time of infection and onset of clinical symptoms. The most popular symptom mentioned spontaneously was bleeding through body orifices (48.6%). Majority of respondents mentioned handshake or skin contact as a mode of transmission (57.3%) and reduced contact with bats as a means to prevent the spread of EVD (58.1%). Knowledge of transmission of body fluids such as faeces, blood or urine was low (<10%), though this varied significantly by socio-demographic group. Majority (94%) of respondents acknowledged that EVD was a serious disease, however, only 58% saw themselves at risk. Current preventive behaviours included: improved hand hygiene (83%) and avoidance of handshakes and physical contact with people (81%). Community members in the Kintampo districts have high level of awareness of EVD, but important gaps in knowledge of EVD still exist, especially concerning body fluids as a mode of transmission. There is the need to intensify educational messages as part of Ghana’s preparedness towards a potential EVD outbreak.
