Fetensa Getahun, Wakuma Bizuneh, Besho Merga, Yadesa Girma, Gugsa Jilcha, Tufa Derara Girma, Bati Feyiso, Duftu Kitesa Biresa, Tolossa Tadesse
Department of Nursing, Institute of Health Sciences, Wollega University, Nekemte, Ethiopia.
Department of Health, Behavior, and Society, Institute of Health, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia.
Front Public Health. 2025 Jul 2;13:1551163. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1551163. eCollection 2025.
Monkeypox (Mpox) has emerged as a global public health concern, with ongoing outbreaks in non-endemic countries affecting various aspects of the healthcare system. This study aimed to determine the knowledge, attitudes, and factors associated with Mpox among healthcare professionals in Ethiopia.
A national cross-sectional study was conducted in Ethiopia from 31 August 2024 to 10 September 2024, involving 749 frontline healthcare professionals. Data were collected via an online survey using Google Forms, with questionnaires distributed through widely used social media platforms such as Email, Telegram, and WhatsApp. Participants were recruited using a snowball sampling technique to ensure diverse representation among frontline health workers.
A total of 749 healthcare professionals participated in the study, yielding a response rate of 93.6%. More than half (56.5%) of the participants demonstrated good knowledge about Mpox, while 51.5% showed a positive attitude toward Mpox. Statistically significant factors associated with better knowledge of healthcare professionals toward Mpox included being male [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 1.61], being in the 25-30 years age group (AOR = 2.29), and having a history of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination (AOR = 1.84). Factors significantly associated with a positive attitude toward Mpox included having good knowledge (AOR = 1.41), being male (AOR = 2.07), holding a diploma (AOR = 1.96), earning a monthly income between 8,018 and 9,057 ETB (AOR = 2.83), and identifying as an Orthodox Christian (AOR = 1.65).
Knowledge and attitude toward Mpox and its prevention among healthcare professionals in Ethiopia are found to be suboptimal. Significant efforts are needed to control and prevent outbreaks in Ethiopia by enhancing the capability of healthcare professionals. Factors such as a history of COVID-19 vaccination, male sex, and being in the 25-30 age group were significantly associated with knowledge of the disease and its prevention. Moreover, factors such as male sex, a diploma-level education, monthly income, and being an Orthodox religion follower were linked to positive attitudes toward Mpox and its prevention. Further studies are needed to tackle the perceived challenges of controlling the outbreak among potential stakeholders, including healthcare professionals working in rural areas, to support the current findings.
猴痘已成为全球公共卫生关注的问题，非流行国家持续爆发的疫情影响着医疗系统的各个方面。本研究旨在确定埃塞俄比亚医疗专业人员对猴痘的知识、态度及相关因素。
2024年8月31日至2024年9月10日在埃塞俄比亚进行了一项全国性横断面研究，涉及749名一线医疗专业人员。数据通过使用谷歌表单的在线调查收集，问卷通过电子邮件、电报和WhatsApp等广泛使用的社交媒体平台分发。采用滚雪球抽样技术招募参与者，以确保一线卫生工作者具有多样化的代表性。
共有749名医疗专业人员参与了该研究，回复率为93.6%。超过一半（56.5%）的参与者对猴痘有良好的了解，而51.5%的参与者对猴痘持积极态度。与医疗专业人员对猴痘有更好了解相关的具有统计学意义的因素包括男性[调整后的优势比（AOR）=1.61]、年龄在25 - 30岁之间（AOR = 2.29）以及有2019冠状病毒病（COVID - 19）疫苗接种史（AOR = 1.84）。与对猴痘持积极态度显著相关的因素包括有良好的知识（AOR = 1.41）、男性（AOR = 2.07）、持有文凭（AOR = 1.96）、月收入在8018至9057埃塞俄比亚比尔之间（AOR = 2.83）以及认定为东正教基督徒（AOR = 1.65）。
发现埃塞俄比亚医疗专业人员对猴痘及其预防的知识和态度并不理想。需要通过提高医疗专业人员的能力，做出重大努力来控制和预防埃塞俄比亚的疫情爆发。COVID - 19疫苗接种史、男性以及年龄在25 - 30岁之间等因素与对该疾病及其预防的知识显著相关。此外，男性、文凭水平的教育、月收入以及作为东正教信徒等因素与对猴痘及其预防的积极态度有关。需要进一步研究应对控制疫情爆发在潜在利益相关者（包括在农村地区工作的医疗专业人员）中所察觉到的挑战，以支持当前的研究结果。
