Knowledge, Attitude and Worry in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq during the Mpox (Monkeypox) Outbreak in 2022: An Online Cross-Sectional Study
Sirwan Khalid Ahmed,
Salar Omar Abdulqadir,
Rukhsar Muhammad Omar,
Ardalan Jabbar Abdullah,
Hawre Asaad Rahman,
Safin Hassan Hussein,
Halkawt Ismail Mohammed Amin,
Deepak Chandran,
Anil Kumar Sharma,
Kuldeep Dhama,
Malik Sallam,
Harapan Harapan,
Nader Salari,
Chiranjib Chakraborty,
Araz Qadir Abdulla
Affiliations
Sirwan Khalid Ahmed
Department of Pediatrics, Rania Pediatric & Maternity Teaching Hospital, Rania, Sulaymaniyah 46012, Iraq
Salar Omar Abdulqadir
Department of Nursing, University of Raparin, Rania, Sulaymaniyah 46012, Iraq
Rukhsar Muhammad Omar
Department of Kindergarten, College of Basic Education, University of Raparin, Rania, Sulaymaniyah 46012, Iraq
Ardalan Jabbar Abdullah
Department of Emergency Nursing, Hibat Sultan Technical Institute, Koye, Erbil 46017, Iraq
Hawre Asaad Rahman
Department of Business Information Technology, Haibat Sultan Technical Institute, Koya, Erbil 46017, Iraq
Safin Hassan Hussein
Department of Medical Laboratory Science, College of Science, University of Raparin, Rania, Sulaymaniyah 46012, Iraq
Halkawt Ismail Mohammed Amin
Department of Accounting, Dukan Technical Institute, Sulaimani Polytechnic University, Sulaymaniyah 46010, Iraq
Deepak Chandran
Department of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry, Amrita School of Agricultural Sciences, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham University, Coimbatore 642109, Tamil Nadu, India
Anil Kumar Sharma
Department of Biotechnology, Maharishi Markandeshwar University Deemed to Be University, Mullana-Ambala 133207, Haryana, India
Kuldeep Dhama
Division of Pathology, ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI), Izatnagar, Bareilly 243122, Uttar Pradesh, India
Malik Sallam
Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Forensic Medicine, School of Medicine, The University of Jordan, Amman 11942, Jordan
Harapan Harapan
Medical Research Unit, School of Medicine, Universitas Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh 23111, Indonesia
Nader Salari
Department of Biostatistics, Faculty of Public Health, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah 6715847141, Iran
Chiranjib Chakraborty
Department of Biotechnology, School of Life Science and Biotechnology, Adamas University, Kolkata 700126, West Bengal, India
Araz Qadir Abdulla
Department of Emergency Nursing, Hibat Sultan Technical Institute, Koye, Erbil 46017, Iraq
The rapid spread of monkeypox (mpox) has been declared as a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC). The present study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude, and worry levels of the general population in the Kurdistan region of Iraq regarding the ongoing mpox multi-country outbreak. An online cross-sectional survey was conducted between 27–30 July 2022, using a convenience sampling method. The questionnaire was adapted from previous studies addressing the same topic. The independent Student’s t-test, one-way ANOVA, and logistic regression were used to assess possible factors associated with knowledge, attitude, and worry toward mpox. A total of 510 respondents were included in the final analysis. The participants showed a moderate level of mpox knowledge, a neutral attitude towards mpox, and a relatively moderate worry level. The logistic regression analysis showed that age, gender, marital status, religion, level of education, and place of residence were associated with mpox knowledge; however, the significant variables in the multivariate regression analysis were gender, religion, level of education, and residential area. Gender and residential area were associated with attitudes toward mpox; however, the significant variables in the multivariate regression analysis were gender and residential areas. The worry toward mpox was influenced by gender, marital status, religion, and place of residence, yet the significant variables in the multivariate regression analysis were gender, religion, educational level, and residential area. In conclusion, the Kurdish population had moderate knowledge, a neutral attitude, and a moderate level of worry about mpox. Considering the continuous rapid rise in mpox cases in several countries, and its possible risk as pandemic amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, proactive control measures, adequate disease prevention strategies, and preparedness plans need to be formulated and immediately implemented to tackle the appearance of fears among people, and to safeguard the mental health of the public.
