Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices (KAP) Survey of an Endemic Rainforest Population in Northern Ecuador

: 2.022_INF Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices (KAP) Survey of an Endemic Rainforest Population

Background: Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is endemic throughout the Pacific coastal rainforest region of Ecuador. We conducted a survey in the same endemic region to examine CLrelated KAP. We also compared these findings with those from prior studies we conducted two decades ago. We did so because extensive primary rainforest destruction and intensive economic development activities have changed the region's ecology and disease distribution patterns. In addition, many subsistence farmers who originally settled have been replaced by migrants from non-endemic areas of Ecuador. We hypothesized that these changes would decrease community familiarity with CL, its vector, disease transmission, and disease prevention and control methods. Tropical disease education and control program acceptability and effectiveness can be enhanced through better understanding of community KAP.

Methods:
The survey was conducted during a 24-month period (2013)(2014)(2015). Grid sampling was used to randomly select 10% of households in 21 rural hamlets. A subsample of 351 adults (> 18 years) from each site participated in face-to-face interviews which collected closed-and open-ended data on household and community characteristics, clinical and laboratory indicators of past or current CL, and CL-related KAP. The study received institutional review board approval and participants provided their informed consent.
Findings: One-third of participants had a positive CL history, 75% reported familiarity with CL and 82% with the sandfly vector. Nearly 80% said they knew how CL is transmitted. The most frequent CL transmission theory identified was infection (bacterial, viral, infected snake venom) transmitted by mosquito or sandflies. Of participants familiar with CL, most reported knowing about (85%) or personally practicing (81%) at least one prevention method. Bednets and insect repellants were most frequently reported. Nearly 60% said an effective vaccine was needed when asked to give suggestions for community-based CL prevention programs.
Interpretation: Although familiarity with CL, its vector, and some CL-related KAP has either stayed the same or decreased since the 1990s, knowledge about/use of bednets and insect repellants was increased suggesting that governmental mass media campaigns against dengue, malaria, and other mosquito-borne diseases appear to have produced a beneficial spill-over effect for CL, another vectorborne disease.

Abstract #: 2.023_INF
Tick, Tock, Clock: When is the best time to post on Twitter?
P. Swamy 1 , K. Ngo 2 , A. Mandalakas 2 ; 1 Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA, 2 Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, USA Background: Social media can be utilized for health-related advocacy. Twitter users post "tweets" which are limited to 140 characters. Within a Tweet, users can use hashtags which can later be searchable and utilized to advocate for issues like Tuberculosis. World TB Day which happens annually on March 24 was started in 1882. This day was started to build awareness and advocate for those living with Tuberculosis. This year the #worldTBday was added to the Symplur database. When conducting a social media campaign, businesses often identify when to post to maximize reach. This principle can also be utilized in health related advocacy. This study aimed to look at a 24 hour period to see when the greatest number of posts occurred.
Methods: Utilizing Symplur, a website that collects information on healthcare based hashtags, we viewed the trend of #worldtbday over the period of 03/23/16 (17:00 PT) e 03/24/16( 17:00 PT). For this hashtag, we searched the number of tweets per hour and converted it into Central Standard Time given our location. We then analyzed the data by using frequencies and created graphs using Excel.
Findings: From March 23-March 24, 2016, we found that there were a total of 22,795 tweets posted with the #worldtbday. This translated into a total of 11,484 twitter users that posted during this time period. The highest Tweet frequency occurred at 5:00AM CST on 3/24 with 1,852 tweets. This translated into 10:00 AM in London and 3:30 PM in India.
Interpretation: This graph shows that from 00:00-16:00 CST would the ideal time to post on Twitter to get the maximum audience. If a targetted audience is needed like in time zones in India, and east Asia then tweets can be created and pre-scheduled to post using applications like Hootsuite. While this report presents one data point, it is important to study the trends of post timing in order to maximize reach and engage the desired audience. Infectious Diseases Old and New e Implications for Global Health J a n u a r y eF e b r u a r y 2 0 1 7 : 1 5 6 -1 6 9