Cross- sectional survey of school teachers knowledge of Ebola virus disease in Ilorin
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Date
2016
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Tropical Journal of Health Sciences
Abstract
The current outbreak of Ebola virus disease is the largest ever. It had led to major disruptions in academic calendars due to closing of schools. However, recent successes in curtailing the epidemic had led to the reopening of schools. School teachers who are in close contact with children should have the necessary knowledge regarding the disease and the capacity to carry out appropriate actions for ill children. We sought to determine the knowledge of primary and secondary school teachers in privately owned schools regarding Ebola virus disease. The study is a descriptive questionnaire based survey on knowledge of teachers regarding EVD. Study participants were primary and secondary school teachers working in privately owned schools. A purposive sampling technique was used in selecting participants. One hundred questionnaires were distributed with an 89% response rate. The mean age of the teachers was 34.18 years ± 8.49. Majority (87.6%) of the teachers recognized close contact with an infected person as a method of transmission. Most (68.5%) of the teachers were able to correctly identify six or more common symptoms of EVD. Over 70% of the teachers recognized the need to isolate suspected/ confirmed cases, frequent hand washing the use of hand sanitizers as effective strategies for the prevention of EVD.
School teachers in the current study have a good knowledge of EVD and strategies for its prevention.
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Citation
1. Abdulkadir, M.B., Abdulkadir, Z.A., Ibraheem, R.M., & Afolabi, J.K. (2016): Cross- sectional survey of school teachers knowledge of Ebola virus disease in Ilorin. Tropical Journal of Health Sciences. 23(1);27-30.