Residing in Loni (Bk) Village, of Ahmednagar District

Abstract

Background:Swine flu influenza (H1N1) commonly known as Swine flu is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza virus. Swine flu virus can be directly transmitted from pigs to humans and from humans to pigs. In India, till date 72,483  people have been tested for H1N1 in Government and a few private laboratories, among the tested 18.9% have found positive.⁽⁴⁾Given the seriousness of the situation and lack of any specific vaccine against Influenza A (H1N1), mitigation measures in the India have so far focused on identifying, treating, and isolating people who have the disease and educating the public about the steps that individuals can take to reduce the risk of transmission.⁽⁵⁾Objective: to Assess the knowledge regarding Swine Flu among peopleof rural area. Methods:Descriptive survey research design was used for assessing the knowledge ofSwine flu among people residing in Lomeshwarnagar, Loni (Bk) village. The sample size was 100 rural people, who fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Non- Probability method, purposive sampling technique was used. Results: The 30% of people had primary and secondary level of education.The highest percentage (46%) received the information from television and radio.The overall mean knowledge score was (13.19± 3.0), which is 65.95% of the maximum score. The highest percentage (74%) of them  had belonged to the item “Swine flu is a communicable disease”. The highest percentage (80%) of them had the item “The common symptoms of Swine flu are high-grade fever, chills, coughing , and sore throat”. The highest percentage (73%) of them had the item “P.C.R. test is important for detecting Swine flu”. The highest percentage of (89%) of them had the item “Use of face mask provides protection from Swine flu infection” Conclusion: This study findings reveal that patients have average knowledge on Swine flu, so medical & paramedical professional should focused on Swine flu prevention and offer effective rehabilitative service for infected one.