Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (KAP) of Dengue Fever in the Rural Area of Central India

Dengue Fever (DF) is an emergent disease in India. It is endemic in some parts of country and contributes annual outbreaks of dengue. To study the knowledge regarding dengue and the preventive measures practiced by the rural population attending a hospital.Setting: The Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Sawangi Meghe, Wardha is the rural medical college located in Maharashtra. Study Design: The study design was a descriptive cross-sectional study concerning Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of DF prevention among the people in Rural Hospital of Central India. Study population: The population in this study was residents of Wardha Districts, Maharashtra State, India, who were living there for at least one year. A 410 adults (aged 18 years and above) were interviewed using a pre-tested questionnaire regarding their knowledge, attitude and practices about DF. 43.91 % respondents belonged to the age group of 30 – 44 years, 84.15 % respondents were married and 31.21 % respondents were high school certificate (31.21 %). 76.58 % respondent knew that the vector for dengue is a mosquito. Whereas 47.8 % respondents knew that human to human spread occurs in dengue and mainly transmitted by mosquito bites. Around 60.48 % of them were aware of fever as the presenting symptom. With regards to the knowledge of the preventive measures, respondents were generally aware of mosquito coils/liquid (57.08 %) and spraying (35.12 %). 74.14 % respondents knew about breeding places of mosquitoes. 94.64 % respondents strongly agreed and agreed that dengue is a serious illness. Only 17.06 % respondents strongly agreed and agreed that they are at risk of getting dengue whereas 62.92 % was not sure about the risk. Common preventive practices that were prevalent in the respondents were use of mosquito coils/liquid (45.12 %); cleaning the house (28.30 %) and mosquito spray (23.42 %). Important sources of information about DF were from television (59.75 %) followed by Friends/relatives (47.80 %). The DF remains a public health problem in this area and the people need more understanding of the disease. Our findings highlight the need for further information, education and communication programs. Preventive strategies are the only means of controlling the DF.