KNOWLEDGE BELIEFS AND SOURCES OF INFORMATION ON LASSA FEVER AMONG RESIDENTS OF A COMMUNITY IN ILORIN NIGERIA
KNOWLEDGE BELIEFS AND SOURCES OF INFORMATION ON LASSA FEVER AMONG RESIDENTS OF A COMMUNITY IN ILORIN NIGERIA

Summary/Abstract: The study aimed at assessing the knowledge and sources of information on Lassa fever among residents of a community in Ilorin, North Central Nigeria. The objective was to know if the residents of the study population are adequately informed about the disease. The study was conducted in Irewolede, a community in Ilorin West Local Government Area of Kwara State. A total of 300 consenting respondents were systematically selected from the study population while primary data was gathered through self-administered structured questionnaire. Findings in this study revealed that respondents have fair knowledge of the disease. Even though all respondents have heard about this disease through various media like radio, television, newspapers, magazines and social media, their knowledge is still inadequate being fraught with misconceptions especially in the means of acquisition, transmission and prevention. Four hypotheses were tested in the study which indicated a significant relationship between sex, education, occupation and the knowledge of Lassa fever among the respondents (p<0.05), while there was no statistically significant relationship between the age and knowledge of Lassa fever among the respondents (p>0.05). The study recommended a wider dissemination of adequate information on Lassa fever through media campaign by all relevant stakeholders.

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