Public Knowledge and Attitude toward Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever in Tokat Turkey

<p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong><br />Background:</strong> The World health Organization (WHO) declares Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fe&shy;ver (CCHF) endemic in Turkey. Despite the magnitude of problem, no documented evi&shy;dence exists in Turkey, which reveals the aware&shy;ness and practices of the country's adult popula&shy;tion regarding CCHF, its spread, symptoms, treatment, and preven&shy;tion. This study was conducted to assess the level of knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding CCHF in people visit&shy;ing terti&shy;ary care hospital in Tokat, Turkey.<br /><strong>Methods:</strong> This questionnaire based cross-sectional survey was conducted among patients' rela&shy;tives or guardians who ad&shy;mitted pediatric outpatient clinics during May-July 2008. The question&shy;naire was composed of 25 questions.<br /><strong>Results:</strong> A total of 1034 respondents participated in the survey. Sufficient knowledge about CCHF was not found in 28.9% of the sample. Literate individuals were relatively better informed about CCHF as compared to the illiterate peo&shy;ple. Television and radio were con&shy;sidered as the most important and useful source of information on the disease.<br /><strong>Conclusion:</strong> We have found insufficient knowledge on CCHF in our population. It is thought to have no chance of suc&shy;cess against a fatal disease such as CCHF, which has serious consequences, without the contribution of commu&shy;nity. It is clear that there are important tasks for health, agri&shy;culture, and media sectors to improve public knowledge and awareness about CCHF.</p>