Knowledge of Ebola virus disease: An evaluation of university students and staff regarding the current Ebola issue around the globe

Knowledge of Ebola virus disease among students at AIMST University, Kedah, Malaysia

BACKGROUND To assess the level of knowledge of Ebola virus disease (EVD) among students at The Asian Institute of Medical, Science and Technology (AIMST) University. METHODS This research is a cross-sectional study of 250 year-1 to year-4 students selected through the stratified sampling method from five health science faculties at AIMST University. Independent variables included students’ age, gender, faculty of origin, source of information, and participation in seminars or conferences, while the dependent variable was the students’ knowledge of EVD. Data were obtained using a self-administered questionnaire. RESULTS The majority of the students did not have adequate knowledge of EVD (77.2%). The level of knowledge of EVD was significantly associated with faculty of origin (p = 0.014) only and not associated with other variables, such as sociodemographic factors, source of information, and participation in seminars or conferences. CONCLUSIONS Information on EVD needs to be disseminated more intensively among university students due to the current lack of knowledge of the disease.

Knowledge of Ebola virus disease among a university population: A cross-sectional study

This cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate the knowledge of a Pakistani university population (students and employees) regarding Ebola virus disease. A total of 2,200 individuals were approached and 1,647 were enrolled in the study. We observed that the vast majority of study participants (91.8%) had inadequate knowledge of Ebola virus disease (knowledge score ≤ 12). Our findings highlight the need to increase the knowledge of Ebola virus disease by using multidimensional approach involving awareness campaigns, print, electronic, and social media.