Level of awareness and frequency of contacts with common-known exposure factors of Leptospirosis among pig farmers and slaughterhouse workers in Kaduna Metropolis, Kaduna State Nigeria

Abstract

To investigate the level of awareness and frequency of exposure to the commonly-known exposure factors of leptospirosis among pig farmers and slaughterhouse workers in Kaduna, a cross-sectional study was conducted in Kaduna metropolis. Of the 100 selected respondents, 13 (13.0%) of them had awareness of leptospirosis and 42 (42.0%) of the respondents had frequent contacts with common - known exposure factors that predispose them to the infection, with the highest frequency of contacts among respondents with no formal education, 66.67%. In conclusion, there is a high frequency of contact among the respondents to common known factors that predisposes them to the infection and low awareness level among them. This could constitute a health risk to the pig farmers and slaughterhouse workers in the metropolis; hence there is need for an increased enlightenment campaign about the infection and its zoonotic implications to the target population.