Knowledge of university female students on the prevention of congenital toxoplasmosis

Many studies evaluating the knowledge on toxoplasmosis have chosen pregnant women or their health-care providers as target groups, while young females of childbearing age are more appropriate candidate for knowledge assessment. A structured self-administered questionnaire was completed by a total of 200 female students, 100 from School of Nursing and Midwifery and 100 from School of Veterinary Medicine by their desire to participate in the study to evaluate their knowledge regarding toxoplasmosis. Average age of respondents was 23 (±1.6) ranging from 20 to 31 years. Results showed that they possess an acceptable knowledge but only in a limited aspect of the parasite such as definitive host (86%), possibility of crossing agent through placenta (76.5%) and that consumption of undercooked meat is an important route of transmission (72.5%). However, a majority of respondents failed to identify soil contact as a significant transmission rate (53%); they also believed that the disease is preventable by vaccine (46%) and could be transmitted horizontally from person to person (56%). The results showed that our respondents had inadequate knowledge of some important aspects of the disease such as prevention of congenital toxoplasmosis. Considering the fact that the respondents were highly educated females af childbearing age, it may be concluded that the results overestimate the level of knowledge in the general population of childbearing age females. This highlights the importance of developing some specific educational programs for this high risk population.