Observational study to assess pregnant women’s knowledge and behaviour related to toxoplasmosis in Essaouira province, Morocco

• Published in: Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Medicine
• Main Authors: Nadia Ouzennou, Samia Boussaa, Safa Ben Alla, Ali Boumezzough
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2019
• Subjects: toxoplasmosis; knowledge; risk behaviour; pregnant women; morocco; Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine; RC955-962; Arctic
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.4103/1995-7645.250842; https://doaj.org/article/8b671ae5053b4b3c95ea9224fb6c82d0

Objective: To assess knowledge and behaviour related to toxoplasmosis which remains a neglected disease in Morocco. Methods: Observational investigations were conducted among 600 pregnant women from Essaouira Province. The interview items covered respondents’ knowledge of the disease, its preventive practices and risk behaviours. Results: A total of 22/600 women had already carried out the anti-toxoplasmosis test, while, 96% have never done any screening of anti- Toxoplasma antibodies. Only 16/600 women have good information about the disease, its mode of transmission and its complications in both the fetus and his mother. Although most women adopt a healthy diet, the consumption of raw or undercooked meat is far to be considered as a risk factor, along with other potential factors that may foster the acquisition of the disease, such as possessing a domestic cat, educational status and knowledge of the disease. However, in this study, contact with soil was revealed the most important risk factor (P = 0.045), followed by the hygiene conditions after handling raw meat (P = 0.048). Conclusion: The underestimation of the Toxoplasma gondii sero-prevalence in Essaouira Province can be explained by the absence of toxoplasmosis serology in health institutions, as well as the gap of knowledge about the disease by local population.