A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY OF DENGUE FEVER KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND PRACTICES OF THE INHABITANTS IN KHYBER DISTRICT, KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA, PAKISTAN

Abstract

Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne infectious disease caused by a virus belonging to the Flaviviridae family. The virus is transmitted to humans primarily by Aedes aegypti during daylight hours by any of the four distinctive serotypes of the antigenic dengue virus. A population-based cross-sectional descriptive analysis was conducted from August to December 2020 to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) of the people of all four tehsils of district Khyber. The study sample of 692 was calculated with a 95% confidence interval, five (5%) sample errors, and a 15% non-response rate. The study found that the majority of the respondents had heard about dengue fever, but their knowledge about the disease was limited. The knowledge about dengue fever, its mode of transmission, its sign and symptoms, and treatment were partially known to the study respondents. Only 38.7% of the respondents knew that dengue is transmitted by mosquitoes, and only 29.5% knew that there is no specific treatment for dengue fever. The most common preventive measures taken by the respondents were the use of mosquito nets (69.7%), the use of mosquito repellents (62.5%), and the removal of stagnant water (60.5%). The majority of the respondents (87.6%) believed that dengue fever can be prevented, and 85.5% of the respondents believed that they could take measures to prevent dengue fever. The majority of the respondents (70.5%) reported that they had received information about dengue fever through TV and radio. Overall, the study highlights the need for more education and awareness campaigns.