Perception regarding mosquito-borne diseases in rural areas of Belagavi – A community-based cross-sectional study

Background: Mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria, dengue, chikungunya, and Japanese encephalitis are a major public health concern in developing nations including India. Objectives: The aim of the study is to assess the knowledge, attitude, and public participation in preventing such diseases in rural places of Karnataka. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study included 360 participants from Primary Health Centers in Vantmuri, Kinaye, and Handiganur Villages, under the Department of Community Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Belagavi, Karnataka, India. Questionnaire included questions regarding mosquito-borne diseases. Results: It was observed from the study that 67% of the participants were aware that mosquitoes transmit diseases. Most of them (35.27%) knew this information through hospitals and health personnel. 34.16% were aware of the fact that malaria and dengue are transmitted by mosquitoes whereas 27.32% were not aware. The major symptoms of mosquito-borne diseases such as fever, headache, and body ache were known to 20.27% people but 27.5% did not know any of them. 20.27% knew that stagnant water is a breeding place for mosquitoes, and only 3.6% people used municipal bins for waste disposal. 43.33% used household utensils to store water and 22.5% used open tanks. Only 65% people used coils for preventing mosquito bites. Cleaning of water bodies (28.33%) and stagnant water (20.55%) was done by a small population regularly. Conclusion: More awareness among public about the seriousness of various mosquito-borne diseases, symptoms, breeding places, and proper disposal of wastes is necessary. Public participation is required to control mosquito-borne diseases.