Awareness and Practices Regarding Leptospirosis in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Union Territory of India

Background Leptospirosis is a worldwide prevalent zoonotic infection and re-emerging disease caused by the bacterium of genus Leptospira transmitted by infected animals in the environment. Andaman and Nicobar Islands has one of the highest incidence rates of leptospirosis in India with a seroprevalence of 52.7%. This study examined the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) regarding leptospirosis among the urban and rural populations of the Union Territory (UT) of India. Aim and objective This study aims to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding leptospirosis in a rural and an urban community of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Materials and methods This community-based cross-sectional study was conducted at rural and urban field practice areas under the aegis of the Department of Community Medicine, Andaman and Nicobar Islands Institute of Medical Sciences (ANIIMS), Port Blair, for a period of three months. A semi-structured interview schedule was administered to 450 participants in community settings selected from a list of households obtained from the municipal council using a systematic random sampling method. All interviews were conducted face-to-face by the investigators to collect data on the sociodemographic variables of the study participants and their knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding the disease. The data was analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 27.0 (IBM SPSS Statistics, Armonk, NY, USA). Results The knowledge and attitude regarding leptospirosis and henceforth the likelihood of individuals using preventive practices were evaluated. The majority of respondents (97%) had previously heard about leptospirosis; however, specific knowledge regarding its risk factors, causative agent, and complications was limited among the participants. Although more than 90% of them had a favorable attitude toward seeking treatment for the disease and adopting specific preventive measures and general hygiene, they did not practice these hygiene habits nor used self-protective equipment in their day-to-day lives. Less than 50% of participants wore protective clothing, boots, and gloves while cleaning cattle sheds, and only 40% of them used rodenticides despite the presence of rodents in their houses. Most of the owners (60%) had not vaccinated their pets. We also found a significant association between the male gender and urban residence with a good knowledge score (p=0.05). Conclusion Despite having knowledge of and a positive attitude toward the disease, the participants did not practice preventive measures. We recommend that health interventions in endemic communities should focus on the implementation of protective measures by raising awareness in the susceptible population on multiple dimensions of leptospirosis in order to attain and ensure better compliance.