Public Knowledge and Perceptions about the Emerging Human Mpox in Jordan: A Cross-Sectional Study

Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease

article

Rana K. Abu-Farha¹  Karem H. Alzoubi²  Tareq L. Mukattash³  Rama Alkhawaldeh¹  Muna Barakat¹  Samar Thiab⁴ 

[1] Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Applied Science Private University;Department of Pharmacy Practice and Pharmacotherapeutics, University of Sharjah;Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Jordan University of Science and Technology;Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Applied Science Private University

关键词: mpox;    human mpox virus;    knowledge;    perception;    outbreak;    Jordan;   

DOI  :  10.3390/tropicalmed8010041

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Hundreds of human mpox cases are spreading outside of Western and Central Africa, which could be considered a significant world health problem. In this study, we sought to assess public knowledge and perceptions of human mpox. The study was a cross-sectional survey conducted in Jordan in September–October 2022. All participants were approached through social media portals. A total of 1195 participants agreed to participate in this study. The participants showed a low median knowledge score about human mpox (4.0 out of 15.0, IQR = 5.0), with only 27.9% of the participants (n = 334) correctly identifying that human mpox is not a bacterial disease, and around half of them (n = 589, 49.3%) knowing that this disease affects both genders. Higher monthly income (≥400 JD/month) was significantly associated with better knowledge about the disease. Social media was the most comprehensive source of information about mpox (n = 1018, 85.2%). Finally, 57.3% of the participants (n = 685) believed that mpox would affect social and economic life, like the COVID-19 pandemic. These findings highlight the urgent need for systematic strategies that should be promoted to increase public knowledge of mpox, which will be critical in improving the capacity to respond to the disease.

【 授权许可】

CC BY