Community Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices toward Toxoplasmosis and the Epidemiological Role of Birds in its Transmission in District Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan
Keywords:
Toxoplasma, Zoonosis, One Health, Public health, Parasitic diseasesAbstract
Infection by Toxoplasma gondii is prevalent in a variety of warm-blooded animals, encompassing livestock, humans, birds, and marine mammals. Birds can act as intermediate hosts for this protozoan parasite with notable public health implications and potentially serve as a transmission source to humans. Understanding the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of the community towards zoonotic parasitic infections is crucial for One Health. This cross-sectional study was conducted to evaluate knowledge, attitude and practices (KAPs) related to toxoplasmosis and the epidemiological role of birds in its transmission among residents of five tehsils (administrative units smaller than districts) i.e. Lahore City, Shalimar, Model Town, Raiwind, and Lahore Cantonment of Lahore district, Punjab, Pakistan. A total of two hundred close-ended questionnaires comprising 59 questions were distributed to randomly selected respondents. The findings revealed that 55.5% of the participants claimed that birds are responsible for causing diseases, while 45.5% claimed that they have heard about toxoplasmosis. Approximately 64% of the respondents had no knowledge about the transmission of toxoplasmosis. Many respondents in our study correctly answered questions about important routes of transmission of toxoplasmosis: (1) consumption of raw or undercooked meat (47.5%), (2) touching of soil or sand in the garden (43%), (3) consumption of untreated water (49%), and (4) consumption of raw vegetables (46%). More than half of respondents (59%) had no knowledge about medicine used against toxoplasmosis. Among respondents, the majority (47%) believed that toxoplasmosis was both an animal and human disease, and 58% reported that they would support initiatives to control this protozoan parasitic disease. Our findings showed that the community of district Lahore has a moderate level of knowledge about toxoplasmosis and the role of birds in its spread. Therefore, it is important to launch awareness campaigns to educate people about the symptoms and risks of this disease. Additionally, information on its transmission and control should be provided using the One Health Approach, which emphasizes community participation as a crucial aspect of public health.
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