Knowledge, Attitude, and Preventive Measures of Lassa Fever among Healthcare Professionals in Health Facilities in Nsukka Local Government Area, Enugu State

Abstract

Lassa fever (LF) has become an endemic disease of public health concern, in West African countries, Nigeria inclusive. This study investigated knowledge, attitude and preventive measures of Lassa fever among healthcare professionals in health facilities in Nsukka LGA, Enugu State. Four research questions and one null hypothesis guided the study. The cross-sectional research design was adopted for the study. The population for the study consisted of 1,434 healthcare professionals in all the 44 primary health centres in Nsukka LGA, Enugu State. The sample size used in the study consisted of 480 healthcare professionals drawn using a multi-stage sampling procedure. Knowledge, Attitude and Preventive Measures of Lassa Fever Questionnaire (KAPMLFQ) was used for data collection. Frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions. The null hypothesis was tested using Chi-Square at 0.05 level of significance.The study concluded that overall, a high proportion of health professionals possessed knowledge of Lassa fever, had positive attitude towards Lassa fever and a high proportion adopted preventive measures of Lassa fever. There was no significant difference in the proportion of healthcare professionals that possess knowledge of Lassa fever in health facilities in Nsukka LGA, Enugu State based on age. However, the authors recommended that the Ministry of Health, in collaboration with local government health departments, should organize regular outreach programmes in rural and underserved communities. These programmes should focus on Lassa fever prevention, targeting healthcare professionals who may have limited access to ongoing training.