Knowledge, Attitude and Practice regarding Dengue Fever among Mothers in Select Dengue Outbreak Villages in Malaybalay City, Bukidnon

Dengue fever (DF) is the most rapidly spreading mosquito-borne viral disease in the world. In this decade, it has expanded to new countries, from urban to rural areas. The main objective of this study was to assess the local knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of DF among mothers in select dengue outbreak villages in Malaybalay City, Bukidnon. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 280 respondents living in top five dengue hot spot villages. The research protocol was strictly observed in the study. The authors asked permission to make use of the designed questionnaire by Mohapatra and Aslami (2016) on knowledge, attitude and practice regarding DF using. Out of 280 individuals interviewed, 89% identified fever as a cardinal symptom of DF. The knowledge about other symptoms of DF was low among participants.  Only 10.8 % knew that DF is transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes. The correct timing of biting time was known by only 7%. Despite low knowledge, the participants had a good attitude and most of them reported good preventive practices against dengue prevention and control. Therefore, there is an urgent need for awareness programs to raise the knowledge of people of this selected dengue fever outbreak villages to protect the health of the people.

Keywords: Dengue fever, mothers, out-break villages, KAP