Abstract
BackgroundZika virus is associated with increased cases of both microcephaly and Guillain-Barré syndrome. Community knowledge, perceptions and practices to prevent infection with the Zika virus are not well understood, particularly among high risk populations living in resource-poor and Zika-endemic areas. Our objective was to assess knowledge of symptoms, health effects and prevention practices associated with Zika virus in rural communities on the northern coast of the Dominican Republic.MethodsStudy participants were contacted while attending community events such as free medical clinics and invited to be interviewed regarding their knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of Zika virus using the World Health Organization’s Zika survey tool.ResultsOf the 75 Dominicans that participated, 33% did not know who could become infected with Zika. In addition, only 40% of respondents were able to identify mosquitoes or sexual transmission as the primary routes of infection though 51% of respondents thought that Zika was an important issue in their community.ConclusionsThis study found that general knowledge regarding the basic risks and transmission of Zika were not well understood among a sample of rural Dominicans. Our findings highlight disparities in knowledge and perception of risk from Zika in rural areas compared to previous studies conducted in the Dominican Republic. Education about the basic risks and transmission of Zika are critically needed in these remote populations to reduce Zika transmission.
Highlights
Zika virus is associated with increased cases of both microcephaly and Guillain-Barré syndrome
Zika virus has taken on increased importance with the declaration of a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the World Health Organization [6]
Due to the established clinical presentations of congenital Zika syndrome such as sever motor delay, functional impairments, microcephaly and Guillain-Barré syndrome, public health measures have focused on decreasing the risk of infection to pregnant women as well as women of childbearing age [1, 5, 7,8,9,10,11,12]
Summary
Zika virus is associated with increased cases of both microcephaly and Guillain-Barré syndrome. Perceptions and practices to prevent infection with the Zika virus are not well understood, among high risk populations living in resource-poor and Zika-endemic areas. Due to the established clinical presentations of congenital Zika syndrome such as sever motor delay, functional impairments, microcephaly and Guillain-Barré syndrome, public health measures have focused on decreasing the risk of infection to pregnant women as well as women of childbearing age [1, 5, 7,8,9,10,11,12]. The mosquito vector is thought to be the primary method for infection, though recent reports suggest that
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