Background: Brucellosis is an important zoonotic disease worldwide though the disease is neglected, the disease presents similar to other febrile illness together with other nonspecific symptoms making it difficult to distinguish with other common diseases, hence leading to a lot of misdiagnosis and mismanagement. The current study will be exploring the level of knowledge, awareness and risk for brucellosis among medical students at CUHAS.
Objective: To determine the level of knowledge, awareness and risk factors for Brucellosis among medical students at CUHAS.
Methodology: A cross sectional study that was conducted from April to May 2023 at CUHAS, using a simple random sampling among medical students, a self-semi structured questionnaire was used and data on demographic characteristics, knowledge, awareness and risk factors for brucellosis was obtained. Data was collected analyzed using SPSS and Chi Square was used to access the association between social demographic variables and those that are related to knowledge, awareness and risk factors.
Significance: The aim of selecting this population is because students are from different regions hence giving a wide view of how the general population is aware of the disease, apart from that understanding the level of knowledge of the disease in important as they are the future medical practitioners as well as being at risk since they in disease endemic area.
Results: A total of 361 respondents were enrolled in the study, 51.5% males and 48.5% females, overall awareness and knowledge was good, 82% of them were ware and only 18% not aware of it, 70% know the causative organism being bacteria. Statistically there is an association between taking meal on campus and being positive for the disease(p=0.00 )
Conclusion: The majority of the participants were aware of the disease however there needs to b more emphasis should be put on the disease as it is of public health concern. Social media have great role in raising awareness to the community but from the study it reveals that it plays less in brucellosis awareness.