Table 2.
Knowledge about leptospirosis among residents of an urban slum community in Salvador, Brazil
| Knowledge regarding leptospirosis* | Number (N = 257) | % |
|---|---|---|
| What is leptospirosis? | ||
| It is a disease | 197 | 76.6 |
| It is a disease transmitted by rats | 187 | 72.7 |
| It kills people | 11 | 4.2 |
| Do not know | 32 | 12.5 |
| How is leptospirosis transmitted? | ||
| Contact with urine of rats | 148 | 56.4 |
| Walking without shoes | 108 | 42.0 |
| Contact with flood waters | 80 | 31.1 |
| Cleaning open sewers | 50 | 19.4 |
| Contact with garbage | 27 | 10.5 |
| Do not know | 30 | 11.6 |
| What can be done to avoid leptospirosis? | ||
| Using shoes | 195 | 75.8 |
| Avoiding contact with flooding | 74 | 28.7 |
| Avoiding contact with garbage | 42 | 16.3 |
| Avoiding garbage accumulation | 26 | 10.1 |
| Avoiding scraps foods at home | 18 | 7.0 |
| Using protective equipment/clothing | 18 | 7.0 |
| Do not know | 33 | 12.8 |
| What are the symptoms of leptospirosis? | ||
| Fever | 136 | 52.9 |
| Headache | 90 | 35.0 |
| Myalgia | 65 | 25.2 |
| Jaundice | 40 | 15.5 |
| Malaise | 24 | 9.3 |
| Chills | 21 | 8.1 |
| Weakness | 9 | 3.5 |
| Gastrointestinal pain | 5 | 1.9 |
| Do not know | 81 | 31.5 |
| Does leptospirosis have a cure? | ||
| Yes | 208 | 80.9 |
| No | 32 | 12.5 |
| Do not know | 17 | 6.6 |
| Can leptospirosis kill? | ||
| Yes | 230 | 89.6 |
| No | 17 | 6.6 |
| Do not know | 10 | 3.8 |
*
All questions in this table were open-ended questions and multiple responses recorded for each respondent.