Table 2.
Awareness and risk perception of Lassa Fever among study participants
| Variable | Frequency (%) |
|---|---|
| 1. Have you ever heard of Lassa Fever? | |
| No | 269 (12.51) |
| Yes | 1881 (87.49) |
| 2. Source of information | |
| Healthcare workers | 700 (37.20) |
| Family and friends | 471 (25.02) |
| Radio/TV | 765 (40.69) |
| Social Media networks | 597 (31.73) |
| Government health advisory | 231 (12.27) |
| Health training | 304 (16.13) |
| Others | 88 (4.67) |
| 3. How can Lassa fever be transmitted? | |
| Mosquito bites | 125 (6.64) |
| Contact with infected rodents, rodent urine/faeces | 1073 (57.04) |
| Contaminated water | 327 (17.38) |
| Through contact with bodily fluids of infected persons | 598 (31.79) |
| Person to person through coughing/sneezing | 325 (17.27 |
| Through food/household items contaminated with rodent urine/faeces | 942 (50.07) |
| I don’t know | 36 (1.91) |
| 4. The most common symptoms of Lassa fever | |
| Fever and fatigue | 1049 (55.76) |
| Sore throat | 558 (29.66) |
| Headache | 691 (36.74) |
| Muscle ache | 861 (45.77) |
| Cough, runny nose | 455 (24.19) |
| Vomiting, diarrhoea, and abdominal pain | 841 (44.71) |
| I don’t know | 206 (10.95) |
| 5. Symptoms experienced recently | |
| Fever | 400 (21.26) |
| General weakness | 388 (20.62) |
| Headache | 415 (22.06) |
| Sore throat | 241 (12.81) |
| Muscle pain | 207 (11.00) |
| Chest pain | 167 (8.87) |
| Stomach pain | 152 (8.08) |
| Vomiting | 216 (11.48) |
| Diarrhoea | 203 (10.79) |
| Cough | 249 (13.23) |
| None | 839 (44.60) |
| 6. Which of the under-listed increases the risk of contracting Lassa fever outbreaks? | |
| Storing food in rodent-infested areas | 1016 (54.01) |
| Poor hand hygiene after handling rodents/rodent-contaminated items | 1200 (63.79) |
| Eating food from road-side vendors | 177 (9.40) |
| Poor sanitation | 288 (15.31) |
| Travelling to Lassa fever endemic area (places) | 233 (12.38) |
| I don’t know | 120 (6.37) |
| 7. How do you think we can prevent Lassa Fever? | |
| Practice good hand hygiene | 746 (39.65) |
| Avoid contact with rodents/rodent-contaminated items | 710 (37.74) |
| Keep your home/environment clean to discourage rodents | 360 (19.13) |
| All of the above | 702 (37.32) |
| I don’t know | 100 (5.31) |