KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND PREVENTION PRACTICES OF DRUG PREVENTION OF TB IN PAKISTAN

Introduction: Tuberculosis (TB) remains a global health problem. In 2011, there were an estimated 8.7 million new cases of TB (13% co-infected with HIV), and 1.4 million people died from TB. Objectives: The main objective of the study is to analyze the knowledge, attitude and prevention practices of drug prevention of TB in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Material and methods: This cross sectional study was conducted in Health Department Punjab during July 2019 to January 2020.  Questionnaire was prepared by an infectious disease specialist and a final year medical student adopting Iranian guidelines for control of TB (2nd edition) and previous similar studies. Results: The data was collected from 150 respondents. Students mean age was 24.74 ± 1.73 (range, 22–40 years), from whom 70 (65.5%) were female and 30 (34.5%) were male. Knowledge score of the students was 16.13 ± 2.06. Knowledge level of the subjects was moderate to high in the majority of students. Attitude score of students’ was 36.08 ± 3.76, attitude level of the students was moderate to high in the majority of students. Conclusion: It is concluded that More effort should be made to improve the knowledge of students regarding TB transmission and the role of sputum smear in diagnosis, as well as emphasis on the importance of the BCG vaccination.