Knowledge and Awareness of Medical Students Regarding the Neglected Tropical Diseases in Chattogram

Abstract

Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) cause the infection of one billion people in 149 countries. Besides, loss of lives, NTDs create a huge socio-economic burden on the country through long-term disabilities of poor people. Proper knowledge and awareness of healthcare professionals are imperative for the control and eradication of NTDs. The study was aimed to measure the present level of knowledge and awareness of medical students in Bangladesh to facilitate control strategies. Data were collected through a questionnaire based survey and found complete responses from 382 participants. The responses were analyzed with the socio-demographic characteristics using the Chi-square and Fisher exact probability tests. Among the total 55.5% were female and the rest (44.5%) were male. Of total 51.6 % participants acknowledged that they had never seen someone with NTDs. Moreover, 36% of 3rd year students and 28.9% of final year did not know the definition of NTD. Thirty eight percent (38%) of participants in both groups said they had no idea about the visual and physical impairments caused by NTDs. Most of the 3rd year students were correctly recognized leishmaniasis (25.11%) and lymphatic filariasis (23.18%) are the NTD of Bangladesh. On the other hand, 27.80% of final year incorrectly identified diarrhea as an NTD. Participants placed the greatest emphasis on mass awareness (83.8 %) followed by easy diagnostic facilities (71.2%). More than 70% of the participants expressed an interest in participating in NTD prevention activities. Study findings recommended focusing on NTDs in the medical education curriculum and professional training especially on the common NTDs of Bangladesh to confirm the active involvement of these primary stakeholders for the prevention and control of NTDs in Bangladesh.