Table 2 Knowledge about schistosomiasis among school-aged children and adults in Amhara Regional State, northwest Ethiopia, February to June 2023
Knowledge Area | Responses | Number (%) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
SAC | Adults | Total | ||
Ever heard about SCH or bilharzia (SAC = 634, adults = 558) | Yes | 91 (14.4) | 138 (24.7) | 229 (19.2) |
No | 543 (85.6) | 420 (75.3) | 963 (80.8) | |
Source of information for SCH (SAC = 91, adult = 138) | School | 60 (65.9) | 93 (67.4) | 153 (66.8) |
Family/community | 16 (17.6) | 37 (26.8) | 53 (23.1) | |
Health institutions/campaigns | 7 (7.7) | 26 (18.8) | 33 (14.4) | |
Media (radio/TV) | 12 (13.2) | 9 (6.5) | 21 (9.2) | |
Causative agent of SCH | Worm | 5 (5.5) | 20 (14.5) | 25 (10.9) |
Bacteria/virus/mosquito | 0 (0.0) | 2 (1.4) | 2 (0.9) | |
Don’t know | 86 (94.5) | 116(84.1) | 202 (88.2) | |
Snails involvement in the transmission of SCH | Yes | 1 (1.1) | 15 (10.9) | 16 (7.0) |
Don’t know | 90 (98.9) | 123 (89.1) | 213 (93.0) | |
Activities attributed to SCH transmission | Defecating near fresh water | 11 (12.1) | 21 (15.2) | 32 (14.0) |
Swimming/bathing or playing in fresh water | 7 (7.7) | 58 (42.0) | 65 (28.4) | |
Walking barefooted in water | 1 (1.1) | 10 (7.2) | 11 (4.8) | |
Don’t know | 74 (81.3) | 77 (55.8) | 151 (66.0) | |
Means to know a person having SCH | By signs and symptoms | 13 (14.3) | 28 (20.3) | 41 (17.9) |
By laboratory diagnosis | 29 (31.9) | 54 (39.1) | 83 (36.2) | |
Don’t know | 61 (67.0) | 82 (59.4) | 143 (62.4) | |
Signs and symptoms of SCH | Abdominal pain | 13 (14.3) | 12 (8.7) | 25 (10.9) |
Fever | 1 (1.1) | 4 (1.7) | 5 (2.2) | |
Bloody stool/diarrhea | – | 5 (3.6) | 5 (2.2) | |
Nausea | – | 3 (2.2) | 3 (1.3) | |
Cough | 1 (1.1) | 0 (0.0) | 1 (0.4) | |
Don’t know | 78 (85.7) | 118 (85.5) | 196 (85.6) | |
SCH can be cured | Yes | 50 (54.9) | 84 (60.9) | 134 (58.5) |
No | 2 (2.2) | 1 (0.7) | 3 (1.3) | |
Don’t know | 39 (42.9) | 53 (38.4) | 92 (40.2) | |
Cure for SCH (SAC = 50, Adult = 84) | Modern medicine | 50 (100.0) | 83 (98.8) | 133 (99.3) |
Traditional medicine | 0 (0.0) | 1 (1.2) | 1 (0.7) | |
Don’t know | 0 (0.0) | 1 (1.2) | 1 (0.7) | |
SCH is preventable disease | Yes | 40 (44.0) | 83 (60.1) | 123 (53.7) |
No | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | |
Don’t know | 51 (56.0) | 55 (39.9) | 106 (46.3) | |
Method of SCH prevention (SAC = 40, Adult = 83) | Avoid contact with freshwater bodies | 4 (10.0) | 4 (2.9) | 8 (3.5) |
Use clean water for drinking and washing | 14 (35.0) | 54 (39.1) | 68 (29.7) | |
Participate in mass treatment | 4 (10.0) | 6 (4.3) | 10 (4.4) | |
Other | 17 (42.5) | 10 (7.2) | 27 (11.8) | |
Don’t know | 7 (17.5) | 8 (5.8) | 15 (6.6) | |
Knowledge level | Good | 2 (2.2) | 16 (11.6) | 18 (7.9) |
Poor | 89 (97.8) | 122 (88.4) | 211 (92.1) | |