Knowledge and practices associated with Lassa fever in rural Nigeria: implications for prevention and control

Background: Lassa fever (LF) is a haemorrhagic illness caused by Lassa virus. The primary reservoir of the virus is the multimammate rat, Mastomys natalensis. More than 2,847 laboratory-confirmed cases of Lassa fever and over 800 deaths have been recorded in Nigeria. This could be attributed to poor rat control and poor sanitation especially in the rural communities where the rats are often found. Increasing awareness and health education about LF have been advocated for its prevention and control. Objective: This study investigated the level of awareness, knowledge and practices related to LF among residents in two rural Local Government Areas in southwest Nigeria sequel to an awareness campaign. Methods: Structured questionnaire was administered by a random sampling technique to 675 adults. Descriptive statistics, Chi-square test of association (p = < 0.05) and logistic regressions were used to analyze the data. Results: Although 536 respondents (79.41%) had heard about LF before, only 3 (0.44%) had good knowledge of the transmission and symptoms of the disease and 304 (45.04%) do not have effective means of preventing rats into their homes. About 296 (43.85%) will go to a hospital if symptoms occur, while 118 (17.48%) will do self-medication and only 6.52% were aware of good prevention practices. Educated and married respondents showed significant relationship with good prevention practices. Conclusion: Although, the awareness of LF among the respondents was high, they engage in practices that could promote the spread of the disease. The people should be well informed about the disease in order to curtail its spread