Abstract
BackgroundSingapore remains vulnerable to worldwide epidemics due to high air traffic with other countries This study aims to measure the public’s awareness of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Avian Influenza A (H7N9), identify population groups who are uninformed or misinformed about the diseases, understand their choice of outbreak information source, and assess the effectiveness of communication channels in Singapore.MethodsA cross-sectional study, comprising of face-to-face interviews, was conducted between June and December 2013 to assess the public’s awareness and knowledge of MERS and H7N9, including their choice of information source. Respondents were randomly selected and recruited from 3 existing cohort studies. An opportunistic sampling approach was also used to recruit new participants or members in the same household through referrals from existing participants.ResultsOut of 2969 participants, 53.2% and 79.4% were not aware of H7N9 and MERS respectively. Participants who were older and better educated were most likely to hear about the diseases. The mean total knowledge score was 9.2 (S.D ± 2.3) out of 20, and 5.9 (S.D ± 1.2) out of 10 for H7N9 and MERS respectively. Participants who were Chinese, more educated and older had better knowledge of the diseases. Television and radio were the primary sources of outbreak information regardless of socio-demographic factors.ConclusionHeightening education of infectious outbreaks through appropriate media to the young and less educated could increase awareness.
Highlights
Singapore remains vulnerable to worldwide epidemics due to high air traffic with other countries This study aims to measure the public’s awareness of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Avian Influenza A (H7N9), identify population groups who are uninformed or misinformed about the diseases, understand their choice of outbreak information source, and assess the effectiveness of communication channels in Singapore
Following the global influenza pandemic caused by the novel influenza A virus in 2009 (H1N1–2009), the world continues to be threatened by emerging respiratory diseases such as the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in 2012 and Avian Influenza A (H7N9) in 2013 [1, 2]
General awareness of H7N9/MERS As illustrated in Table 1, a larger portion of respondents had never heard of MERS (79.4%) before as compared to H7N9 (53.2%)
Summary
Singapore remains vulnerable to worldwide epidemics due to high air traffic with other countries This study aims to measure the public’s awareness of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Avian Influenza A (H7N9), identify population groups who are uninformed or misinformed about the diseases, understand their choice of outbreak information source, and assess the effectiveness of communication channels in Singapore. Despite the fact that most MERS cases have been reported in the Arabian Peninsula and sustained community transmission has not been documented, imported cases have occurred in the region including in Malaysia, Thailand and the Republic of Korea [11] Both H7N9 and MERS were not epidemic at the time of the study and knowledge available on both diseases were limited to global news and reports, given Singapore’s position as an international trading and traveling hub, it is still important to convey to the public accurate and timely information on the nature of the infectious outbreak, its transmission modes and preventive measures so as to better prepare them for potential epidemics
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