Abstract
Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are a group of chronic diseases affecting 1.2 billion people worldwide, with more burden in the developing communities. Improving awareness about NTDs is a powerful affordable long-term intervention for infection control. In literature, there is a limited number of studies in the developing countries assessing the awareness of healthcare providers regarding these diseases. The present study aimed at assessing the awareness of a sample of Cairo University medical and nursing students regarding NTDs. A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on 184 medical and nursing students in Cairo University. An anonymous self-administered questionnaire in English language with an estimated completion time of 15 minutes was used for evaluation. It included question categories which cover the knowledge about NTDs and control measures as well as the willingness to participate in NTDs control activities. Content analysis was performed on the materials and specifications of the epidemiology course given to medical and nursing students. Out of the study participants, 26% knew the meaning of NTDs. The main source of their knowledge was social media followed by the epidemiology course. A percentage of 33% of the students agreed that NTDs are of public health importance in Egypt. Thirty four percent of the participants expressed their willingness to participate in control activities for NTDs. Comparing medical and nursing students, a higher percentage of the nursing students stated that NTDs are causing a public health problem in Egypt with a statistically significant difference (P value < 0.001), while a statistically significant higher percentage of medical students believed that the awareness level regarding NTDs in Egypt is low (P value = 0.002). Cairo University medical and nursing students in this study showed a gap in the level of knowledge regarding NTDs and their control activities which represents a great threat to the control of these diseases.
Highlights
Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are a group of infectious diseases which are categorized among the most common diseases worldwide, especially in the low-income societies suffering from deficiency of sanitation and healthcare services in Africa, Asia, and Latin America [1,2, 3]
The epidemiology of communicable diseases course for medical and nursing students is divided into general epidemiology and specific epidemiology
Most of the NTDs are included in the course such as schistosomiasis, lymphatic filariasis, leishmaniasis, rabies, soil transmitted helminthiasis (STH) as ascariasis and hookworm infections
Summary
Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are a group of infectious diseases which are categorized among the most common diseases worldwide, especially in the low-income societies suffering from deficiency of sanitation and healthcare services in Africa, Asia, and Latin America [1,2, 3]. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that NTDs affect 1.2 billion people worldwide and cause around 534,000 deaths every year [3,4]. Egypt has the highest rates of NTDs in the Middle East and North Africa region; these diseases are endemic in Egypt since Pharaonic time [6]. NTDs include schistosomiasis, soil-transmitted helminthiasis, lymphatic filariasis, leishmaniasis, fascioliasis, and the epidermal parasitic skin diseases. Polyparasitism (multiple parasitic infections) is prevalent in Egypt and it magnifies the problem of NTDs by increasing the morbidity and susceptibility to other infections [6]
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