Community knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding Ebola virus disease

The study concludes that overall, Ebola awareness was high, based on the median correct responses for the 33 statements in the scored section of the KAP survey. At the same time, this survey revealed several important areas of concern as Liberia sought to contain the Ebola epidemic. Across all counties, respondents were somewhat less able to correctly recognize Ebola symptoms or the transmission risk from asymptomatic persons; fear of Ebola patients and Ebola treatment units was prevalent. The fear of cured patients might partially be explained by the fact that community acceptance of survivors was not part of the initial set of Ebola health messages in Liberia. Targeted educational messages about Ebola virus transmission modes, how to protect oneself against Ebola, and the purpose of Ebola treatment units might help to alleviate some of these fears. In addition, recurrence of Ebola transmission in Liberia reinforces the need for ongoing vigilance and early detection of symptomatic persons.