Knowledge Regarding Zika Virus Disease (ZVD) among Interns and Residents of a Rural Hospital of Delhi

Tulika Singh, Bratati Banerjee, Suneela Garg

Abstract


Background: Zika virus is an emerging arbovirus of public health importance transmitted by Aedes mosquito. The disease has been spreading at an alarming rate and World Health Organization has declared Zika virus disease to be a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). Objective: The objective was to assess the knowledge of healthcare professionals about Zika virus disease (ZVD) in a rural hospital of Delhi. Materials and Methods: A total of 120 professionals participated, but only 105 completed the questionnaires. A structured, pretested questionnaire was administered to each participant. Sociodemographic characteristics and knowledge regarding ZVD were recorded. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS Version 16. The results were expressed as percentages. Chi-square test was employed to study the association between sociodemographic characteristics and knowledge followed by multivariate regression analysis. Results: In our study, 81% of the participants were young doctors (<30 years), 67.6% were interns and 62.9% of the participants were male. 23.8% of participants had good knowledge regarding ZVD and it was found to be associated with age, gender, designation and years of experience on univariate analysis. Conclusion: The present Zika virus threat needs to be our immediate priority and we need to enhance knowledge of our healthcare professionals to tackle this public health emergency. 

 


Keywords


Zika, PHEIC, Awareness, Doctors

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References


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