KNOWLEDGE ATTITUDE AND PRACTICE REGARDING NIPAH VIRUS INFECTION IN NAKHON PATHOM PROVINCE IN THAILAND

Abstract

Background: Nipah virus disease is a fatal disease with high mortality rate and can cause a serious impact on public health. Due to lack of a specific agent for vaccination and treatment, prevention is crucial. However, key information for health promotion were poorly understood. The objectives of this study were to figure out knowledge, attitude and practices in the context of Nipah virus disease and identify associated factors among people living close to a roost of flying foxes. Method: A cross sectional study was conducted among people living in the villages close to the flying fox roost in Ban Luang subdistrict, Don Thum district, Nakhon Pathom Province, central Thailand. Data collection was carried out in May 2018. Households were chosen by a stratified random sampling and one respondent was recruited from each household by chance. A face-to-face interview with a questionnaire was conducted to elicit information. Bivariate analysis was employed to compare responses among groups and multiple linear regression was used to explore factors associated with knowledge and attitude. Results: In total, 272 respondents were included in this survey. Poor knowledge and attitude toward Nipah virus disease were found; 30.5% and 43.0% of respondents perceived that bats can transfer disease to human and animals, respectively; no respondents have ever heard of Nipah virus disease; 10.3% of respondents agreed there was a risk of disease from bats. Only five respondents (3.3%) reported history of the practices related to human-bat interaction. Multivariate analysis showed “seen bats in or around a house” was significantly associated with knowledge score (ß=0.92, p=0.001). Education (ß=2.23, p=0.004), “take care of domestic animals” (ß=3.65, p<0.001) and knowledge score (ß=0.55, p<0.001) were significantly associated with attitude score. Conclusions: Our findings presented inadequate knowledge and attitude toward bat-borne disease including Nipah virus disease. There is an need to provide educational information to enhance knowledge and awareness toward Nipah virus disease among people living close to a habitat of flying foxes.