title: Is the Saudi public aware of Middle East respiratory syndrome?
abstract: To limit the spread of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in Saudi Arabia, the Ministry of Health tried to raise public awareness using different public campaigns. We aimed to measure public awareness of MERS in Saudi Arabia. A cross-sectional study was conducted between May and June 2014 using a newly designed Arabic questionnaire that was distributed and completed online. We analyzed the response of 1149 respondents across Saudi Arabia. We found that 97% of the participants were aware of MERS. In addition, 72% realized that coughing and sneezing could spread the infection. Furthermore, 83% thought that some patients with MERS could be cured. Moreover, 62% knew that no vaccine can prevent the disease. However, only 36% realized that taking antibiotics will not stop the infection, and only 41% recognized that no medication has yet been manufactured to treat it. Regarding protection measures, 74% used hand sanitizers, 43% avoided crowded places, and 11% wore masks in public places. Moreover, only 47% knew that bats and camels are the primary source of the virus. As anticipated, this level of awareness varied between the different categories of the studied population. Female, married, older, and more educated participants were significantly more knowledgeable about the disease. Public awareness of MERS is generally sufficient. However, some false beliefs about treatment were fairly common. In addition, almost half of the population remains unaware that bats and camels are the most likely sources of the virus.
authors.affiliation: College of Medicine, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Omar A
authors.initials: OA
authors.lastname: Al-Mohrej
authors.affiliation: College of Medicine, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Sarah D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Al-Shirian
authors.affiliation: College of Medicine, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Salman K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Al-Otaibi
authors.affiliation: Clinical Research Institute, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon.
authors.forename: Hani M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Tamim
authors.affiliation: Research Unit, Department of Medical Education, College of Medicine, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Emad M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Masuadi
authors.affiliation: Department of Basic Sciences, College of Science and Health Professions, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Electronic address: hana.fakhoury@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Hana M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Fakhoury
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000818:Animals; D002648:Child; D018352:Coronavirus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012529:Saudi Arabia / Q000453:epidemiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Coronavirus; MERS; Public awareness; Saudi Arabia