Knowledge regarding the treatment and prevention of dengue fever among the urban people in Bangladesh

Dengue is one of the major vector-borne diseases which is currently a burning public health issue in Bangladesh. Bangladesh is affected by a dengue outbreak almost every year. Though the prevalence of dengue was low compared to other Southeast Asian countries since its inception in 1964 in Bangladesh, recently Bangladesh is experiencing an increase in dengue outbreaks, especially in the urban areas. Over the past few decades, the prevalence of dengue is increasing globally due to urbanization, population growth, climate change, and other surrounding factors. Thus, it is very much essential for urban people to have sound knowledge regarding the treatment and prevention of dengue fever. This study aimed to assess the knowledge regarding the treatment and prevention of dengue fever among the urban people in Bangladesh. A descriptive type of cross-sectional study was conducted among the people from different areas of Dhaka city in Bangladesh. For this purpose, 384 persons were randomly selected who were from different socio-demographic backgrounds. Data were being collected using a pre-tested and semi-structured questionnaire and by conducting face-to-face interviews with the selected respondents. The data analysis was done using appropriate statistical software and the level of knowledge was assessed by using a Likert scale ranging from zero to ten. The findings revealed that overall, 72.38% of respondents’ level of knowledge regarding treatment and prevention of dengue fever was good and the rest 27.62% of respondents’ level of knowledge was poor. Though the knowledge level was found good among the respondents, it is very much important to practice the behavior as well. Thus, similar types of studies should be conducted in different cities to generalize the findings and identify the opportunities to work on the practice of the people towards the treatment and prevention of dengue fever.