Journal of Pierre Fauchard Academy (India Section)

Awareness of the Pandemic H1N1 Influenza Outbreak Among Malaysian Dental Students


Affiliations

  • All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Division of Public Health Dentistry, Centre for Dental Education and Research, New Delhi, Delhi, 110029, India
  • Manipal University, Melaka Manipal Medical College, Manipal, Karnataka, 576 109, India

Abstract

Introduction: Influenza A (H1N1) is the most recent of the pandemic diseases that has affected the world’s population. The aim of this study was to assess knowledge, attitudes and behaviours regarding H1N1 pandemic among Malaysian dental students. Methodology: The data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire and results were analysed using SPSS version 15. Results: The most common symptoms identified were fever (50.8%), breathing difficulty (41.0%), and cough (39.3%). It was considered to be a moderately dangerous infection by approximately one third of the students (31.1%). Majority (88.9%) of the students agreed that washing hands with soap is the most effective preventive measure. It was followed by travel restriction that was reported by 77% of them as a preventive measure for the pandemic. Conclusion: This study concluded that a large number of students did not have complete awareness about disease transmission, preventive measures, vaccinations, and treatments available.

Keywords

Dental Students, H1N1 Virus, Influenza, Knowledge, Malaysian Students, Pandemic, Public Health, Prevention and Control, Questionnaires, Swine Flu

Subject Discipline

Dentistry

Full Text:

References

World Health Organization. Current WHO phase of pandemic alert 2009. [Internet]. [cited 2011 Jul 11]. Available from:www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/phase/en/ index.

Jehn M, Kim Y, Bradley B, Lant T. Community knowledge, risk perception, and preparedness for the 2009 Influenza A/H1N1 pandemic. J Public Health Manag Pract. 2011 Sep-Oct;17(5):431–438. https://doi.org/10.1097/PHH.0b013e3182113921

Kamate SK, Agrawal A, Chaudhary H, Singh K, Mishra P, Asawa K. Public knowledge, attitude and behavioural changes in an Indian population during the Influenza A (H1N1) outbreak. J Infect Dev Ctries. 2009;4:7–14.

Farid-ul-Hasnain S, Johansson E, Krantz G. What do young adults know about the HIV/AIDS epidemic? Findings from a population based study in Karachi, Pakistan. BMC Infectious Diseases. 2009;9:38. https://doi.org/10.1186/14712334-9-38

Zhang Y, May L, Stoto MA. Evaluating syndromic surveillance systems at Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs): A retrospective analysis of the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic at two universities. BMC Public Health. 2011 Jul 26;11(1):591. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-11-591

Rubin GJ, Amlôt R, Page L, Wessely S. Public perceptions, anxiety, and behaviour change in relation to the swine flu outbreak: cross sectional telephone survey. BMJ. 2009;339:2651. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.b2651

Torner N, Morteruel M, Martìnez A, Godoy P. Influenza (H1N1) 2009 outbreaks in educational settings. Catalonia. Rev Esp Salud Publica. 2011 Feb;85(1):97–103.

https://doi.org/10.1590/S1135-57272011000100012

Sharangpani R, Boulton KE, Wells E, Kim C. Attitudes and behaviors of international air travelers toward pandemic influenza. J Travel Med. 2011 May–Jun; 18(3):203–208.

https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1708-8305.2011.00500.x

Hsu LY, Jin J, Ang BS, Kurup A, Tambyah PA. Hand hygiene and infection control survey pre- and peri-H1N1-2009 pandemic: knowledge and perceptions of final year medical students in Singapore. Singapore Med J. 2011 Jul;52(7):486–490.

Reuter T, Renner B. Who takes precautionary action in the face of the new H1N1 influenza? Prediction of who collects a free hand sanitizer using a health behavior model. PLoS One. 2011;6(7). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0022130

Killingley B, Enstone J, Booy R, Hayward A, Oxford J, Ferguson N, Van-Tam JN. On behalf of the influenza transmission strategy development group. Potential role of human challenge studies for investigation of influenza transmission. Lancet Infect Dis. 2011 Jul 26.

https://doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(11)70142-6

Blasi F, Palange P, Rohde G, Severin T, Cornaglia G, Finch R. Healthcare workers and influenza vaccination: an ERSESCMID Web-based survey. Clin Microbiol Infect. 2011 Aug;17(8):1223–1225. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.14690691.2011.03501.x

Lin Y, Huang L, Nie S, Liu Z, Yu H, Yan W, Xu Y. Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices (KAP) related to the pandemic (H1N1) 2009 among Chinese general population: A telephone survey. BMC Infect Dis. 2011 May 16; 11:128. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2334-11-128

Parry HM, Damery S, Fergusson A, Draper H, Bion J, Low AE. Pandemic influenza A (H1N1) 2009 in a critical care and theatre setting: beliefs and attitudes towards staff vaccination. J Hosp Infect. 2011 Aug;78(4):302–307. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhin.2011.02.009

Suresh PS, Thejaswini V, Rajan T. Factors associated with 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) vaccination acceptance among university students from India during the post-pandemic phase. BMC Infect Dis. 2011 Jul 29;11(1):205. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2334-11-205

Ferrante G, Baldissera S, Moghadam PF, Carrozzi G, Trinito MO, Salmaso S. Surveillance of perceptions, knowledge, attitudes and behaviors of the Italian adult population (18-69 years) during the 2009-2010 A/H1N1 influenza pandemic. Eur J Epidemiol. 2011 Mar; 26(3):211–219.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10654-011-9576-3


Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.