Knowledge, Attitude and Practice in Dengue Endemic Areas in Madurai District

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Dengue fever, otherwise called break bonefever, is a mosquito borne tropical illness brought aboutby the dengue virus. In the present study an attempt wasmade to identify the reason for the year wise increase ofdengue incidence in Madurai District .The object of MedicalGeography is to study the geographical environment of humansociety and its influence on the health of man. In this directionthe present study helps to understand how the disease governedby people attitude, behavior and knowledge among dengueMaterial and Methods: To fulfill the objectives Primary andSecondary data were collected. Stratified random samplingmethod was used to collect the primary data.450 respondentswho were interviewed by direct questionnaire method, 20variables were selected. Year wise dengue cases were collectedfrom Deputy Directorate of Health Department Madurai.Results: During the previous ten years dengue cases becomeexpanding significantly in Madurai district. In 2017 thepercentage of dengue infection attains its zenith. Whencompared to 2012 dengue infection is doubled as 51% of casesin 2017. The increasing or decreasing rate of dengue infectiondepends on the knowledge, attitude and practice of peopleamong dengue and it seems low in educated people also.Conclusion: Dengue affected areas not up to the mark evenin educated people also. The initial phase in real life againstthe dengue mosquito is to educate communities about whatdengue is and what measure can be taken to battle it. A reliablewater supply is essential to prevent dengue fever. Watershortage force people to store water, which leads to breedingplaces for dengue mosquitoes.