Table 3. Knowledge of academics, health workers and tertiary students about the transmission, symptoms prevention and control of mpox virus infections in Nigeria.
| Questions asked/ information required | Responses | Academics (n = 295) | Health Worker (n = 789) | Tertiary Student (n = 368) | Total (n = 1452) | P-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Modes of transmission | ||||||
| Broken skin-to-skin contact with infected person | Yes | 230 (78.0) | 663 (84.0) | 295 (80.2) | 1188 (81.8) | 0.045 |
| Respiratory droplets | Yes | 146 (49.5) | 469 (59.4) | 195 (53.0) | 810 (55.8) | 0.006 |
| Mucous membranes, like the eyes, nose, and mouth | Yes | 169 (57.3) | 517 (65.5) | 213 (57.9) | 899 (61.9) | 0.008 |
| A bite or scratch from an infected animal | Yes | 188 (63.7) | 552 (70.0) | 223 (60.6) | 963 (66.3) | 0.004 |
| Contact with infected bodily fluids | Yes | 230 (78.0) | 657 (83.3) | 280 (76.1) | 1167 (80.4) | 0.008 |
| Contaminated clothing or linens | Yes | 142 (48.1) | 430 (54.5) | 159 (43.2) | 731 (50.3) | 0.001 |
| Consuming inadequately cooked flesh of infected animals | Yes | 162 (54.9) | 483 (61.2) | 201 (54.6) | 846 (58,3) | 0.045 |
| Symptoms in humans | ||||||
| Fever | Yes | 253 (85.8) | 729 (92.4) | 320 (87.0) | 150 (10.3) | 0.001 |
| Chills | Yes | 140 (47.5) | 457 (57.9) | 187 (50.8) | 784 (54.0) | 0.003 |
| Headache | Yes | 208 (70.5) | 614 (77.8) | 260 (70.7) | 1082 (74.5) | 0.007 |
| Fatigue | Yes | 181 (61.4) | 552 (70.0) | 216 (58.7) | 949 (65.4) | <0.001 |
| Swollen lymph nodes | Yes | 178 (60.3) | 579 (73.4) | 218 (59.2) | 975 (67.1) | <0.001 |
| Rash | Yes | 215 (72.9) | 638 (80.9) | 251 (68.2) | 1104 (76.0) | <0.001 |
| Blisters | Yes | 189 (64.1) | 503 (63.8) | 193 (52.4) | 885 (61.0) | 0.001 |
| Sores in mouth | Yes | 125 (42.4) | 411 (52.1) | 157 (42.7) | 693 (47.7) | 0.001 |
| Sores in vagina | Yes | 85 (28.8) | 225 (28.5) | 86 (23.4) | 396 (27.3) | 0.150 |
| Sores in anus | Yes | 80 (27.1) | 229 (29.0) | 82 (22.3) | 391 (26.9) | 0.055 |
| No Symptoms | Yes | 8 (2.7) | 30 (3.8) | 18 (4.9) | 56 (3.9) | 0.348 |
| Prevention and control methods | ||||||
| Mpox is curable | Yes | 163 (55.3) | 468 (59.3) | 173 (47.0) | 804 (55.4) | <0.001 |
| No | 42 (4.2) | 102 (12.9) | 35 (9.5) | 179 (12.3) | ||
| I do not know | 90 (30.5) | 219 (27.8) | 160 (43.5) | 469 (32.3) | ||
| Mpox can be prevented by avoiding contact with animals suspected to have or died of Mpox | Yes | 262 (88.8) | 728 (92.3) | 314 (85.3) | 1304 (89.8) | <0.001 |
| No | 11 (3.7) | 27 (3.4) | 10 (2.7) | 48 (3.3) | ||
| I do not know | 22 (7.5) | 34 (4.3) | 44 (12.0) | 100 (6.9) | ||
| Mpox can be prevented by thoroughly cooking of all foods of animal origin | Yes | 230 (78.0) | 666 (84.4) | 270 (73.4) | 1166 (80.3) | <0.001 |
| No | 35 (11.9) | 71 (9.0) | 23 (6.2) | 129 (8.9) | ||
| I do not know | 30 (10.2) | 52 (6.6) | 75 (20.4) | 157 (10.8) | ||
| Mpox can be prevented by hand washing frequently with soap and water | Yes | 244 (82.7) | 706 (89.5) | 310 (84.2) | 1260 (86.8) | 0.002 |
| No | 25 (8.5) | 47 (6.0) | 21 (5.7) | 93 (6.4) | ||
| I do not know | 26 (8.8) | 36 (4.6) | 37 (10.1) | 99 (6.8) | ||
| Mpox can be prevented by practising safer sex, including the use of condoms and dental dams | Yes | 141 (47.8) | 467 (59.2) | 210 (57.1) | 818 (56.3) | <0.001 |
| No | 92 (31.2) | 215(27.2) | 65 (17.7) | 372 (25.6) | ||
| I do not know | 62 (21.0) | 107 (13.6) | 93 (25.3) | 262 (18.0) | ||
| Mpox can be prevented by getting vaccinated against small pox | Yes | 133 (45.1) | 425 (53.9) | 206 (56.0) | 764 (52.6) | <0.001 |
| No | 88 (29.8) | 206 (26.1) | 55 (14.9) | 349 (24.0) | ||
| I do not know | 74 (25.1) | 158 (20.0) | 107 (29.1) | 339 (23.3) | ||
| There is no treatment available for Mpox | Yes | 106 (35.9) | 310 (39.3) | 89 (24.2) | 505 (34.8) | <0.001 |
| No | 110 (37.3) | 325 (41.2) | 120 (32.6) | 555 (38.2) | ||
| I do not know | 79 (26.8) | 154 (19.5) | 159 (43.2) | 392 (27.0) | ||
| There is an available vaccine for Mpox | Yes | 106 (35.9) | 276 (35.0) | 127 (34.5) | 509 (35.1) | <0.001 |
| No | 96 (32.5) | 308 (39.0) | 76 (20.7) | 480 (33.1) | ||
| I do not know | 93 (31.5) | 205 (26.0) | 165 (44.8) | 463 (31.9) |
Pearson’s Chi-square statistic using IBM® SPSS version 20 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, Illinois, USA)