Knowledge and Practices of Leptospirosis Patients, Their Neighbors, Village Health Volunteers and Community Leaders Regard-Ing Leptospirosis Prevention and Control in Maha Sarakham Province, Thailand

International audienceLittle is known about leptospirosis prevention at the community level in Thailand. In this study we aimed to investigate knowledge and practices of study subjects comprising, leptospirosis patients, their neighbors, village health volunteers and community leaders regarding leptospirosis prevention and control in Maha Sarakham Province, Thailand, in order to inform a leptospirosis prevention and control program in the study province. Study subjects were chosen purposely and were interviewed following a structured form asking about knowledge and leptospirosis preventive practices. The results of interviews were then summarized and compared using ANOVA and independent-samples t-tests. A total of 167 patients, 325 neighbors, 320 community leaders and 480 village health volunteers were included in the study. The percentages of patients, neighbors, community leaders and village health volunteers who were male were 78.4%, 33.5%, 78.8% and 22.9%, respectively. The mean...