Epidemiology and community awareness of brucellosis in Al-Jouf Region, Saudi Arabia | ||
| Microbes and Infectious Diseases | ||
| Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available Online from 29 April 2025 | ||
| Document Type: Original Article | ||
| DOI: 10.21608/mid.2025.359268.2533 | ||
| Authors | ||
| Amany A Ghazy* 1, 2; Ahmed Khalid S Alshalan3; Osama Mohammed R Alruwaili3; Mteb Saleh Alserhani3; Abdullah Muteb S Alshalan3; Iyas Ahmed Ahmed Alkaldi3; Sadun Ali A Alruwaili3; Sultan Abdulaziz Alnuman3; Walid Ahmad A Alanazi3; Youssef Ahmed Shatara4; Abdulrahman Jadid Alsharari5; Salma Ahmed Fathy Shatara6 | ||
| 1Microbiology and Immunology Unit, Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, Jouf University, Saudi Arabia. | ||
| 2Microbiology & Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Kafrelsheikh University, Egypt | ||
| 3College of Medicine, Jouf University, Saudi Arabia | ||
| 4Faculty of Medicine, Alexandria National University, Egypt | ||
| 5College of Medicine, Arabian Gulf University, Bahrain | ||
| 6Faculty of Medicine, Kafrelsheikh University, Egypt | ||
| Abstract | ||
| Background: Brucellosis negatively influences economic, and health sectors in many countries due to underestimation of its burden. Aim: to determine the prevalence and community awareness of brucellosis in Al-Jouf region, Saudi Arabia. Methods: The prevalence of brucellosis was determined by collecting data from general hospitals and a questionnaire was distributed online to various community sectors. Results: The highest prevalence of brucellosis was recorded in Domat Al Jandal Hospital with nearly half of the cases. Among 551 individuals who agreed to share in the study, 42.9% were aged between 18-25 years, and nearly all were Saudi, and resident in Sakaka city (67.3%). Asking about brucellosis, 55.2% of the participants heard about the disease, only 20.4% knew mode of transmission, 61.7% of them did not know its complications, and 26.9% answered brucellosis can be transmitted from human to human, which is the wrong answer. Regarding the attitude of livestock/animal handlers (48.5%), about half of them refused to slaughter animals personally, or use gloves in contact with animals, 48.7% agreed on isolation of aborted animals from the herd and 55.4% of participants agreed on bury an aborted animal fetus. Conclusion: There has been a high prevalence of brucellosis in Domat Al Jandal region over the past 3 years (2020-2024). A decrease in community knowledge about the mode of transmission, complications, and ways of prevention of brucellosis was recorded. Positively, there is a good percentage of positive attitudes among livestock/animal handlers in in Al-Jouf region, except for using gloves. More educational programs are recommended. | ||
| Keywords | ||
| Brucellosis; prevalence; knowledge; and attitude; Al-Jouf region | ||
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