Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Sudanese Health Care Providers toward Ebola Virus Outbreak

Ebola virus disease (EVD) is a highly contagious and fatal disease in humans. Healthcare providers (HCPs) are often at the frontline of epidemics and can thus be in jeopardy of contracting EVD. Sudan is at a great risk of an EVD outbreak, as it borders countries that experienced EVD outbreaks. It is therefore imperative in Sudan to assess the HCPs' awareness and knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) about EVD for its control and management and for preparedness. A KAP survey was conducted among 387 HCPs (physicians, nurses and laboratory technicians) in the three main tertiary hospitals in Khartoum, Sudan. The majority of the survey respondents (54.5%) were females, < 30 years old (76.3%), and single (77.4%). Most (94%) had heard about EVD, 62% from classical media. Only 14% had received education or training regarding EVD. About 40% reported being adherent to universal precautions and 72% were willing to deal with EVD patients under safety precautions. Only 10% knew of any available standard national guidelines for EVD. Nearly half of the HCPs (47%) rated the potential risk of an EVD outbreak in Sudan as high, and 52% rated health authorities' effort against it as weak. These findings revealed the HCPs' insufficient knowledge of EVD and the necessary universal precautions. This lack of knowledge would negatively affect the HCPs' preparedness toward any potential EVD outbreak. There is a dire need to train HCPs in Sudan on the management of EVD, including preventive and control measures.