KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDES AND PRACTICES TOWARDS TYPE C MENINGITIS: A QUALITATIVE STUDY IN ZAMFARA STATE NIGERIA

Abstract

Meningitis is a serious viral or bacterial disease in which an outside layer of the brain or spinal cord becomes affected and swollen, and can lead to death of the patient. As one of the countries within the Meningitis Belt, Nigeria has recorded outbreaks in the recent past. Meningitis has a significant impact in Nigeria, but the methods for treatment and factors determining a person's vulnerability are not well understood. This paper adopt knowledge to explore the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of people in Zamfara State in order to identify social and behavioural factors that may contribute to the spread of the disease and likely belief attitudes and peoples practices that might improve health outcomes. The study was conducted among household heads and some health care providers across three senatorial districts in Zamfara State Nigeria. The Health Belief Model was used as theoretical guide of this study. Findings from the study reveal that though there is knowledge about the aetiology of meningitis but some of the respondents lack knowledge to on early sign and symptoms of the disease. Furthermore, the findings indicate that some people in the study area does not engage into proper health preventive practices such as going to hospital for vaccination services. The paper recommends awareness campaign to educate and enlighten people on proper for the treatment and management of meningitis.