Exploring the Knowledge and Attitude of Medical and Allied Health Sciences Students towards Monkey Pox Virus

Background: Human Monkey Pox (HMPX) is a zoonotic disease caused by the pathogenic agent Monkeypox Virus (MPXV) and remains a global health burden. After Africa, its outbreak has been reported in America, Europe, and a few other regions of Africa. While quite a few cases were also reported in Pakistan. Although it is a self-limiting disease, it remains a potential threat to the human population, with an increasing morbidity rate and case fatality rate. Methods: In a cross-sectional study conducted from September to December 2022, the aim was to assess the knowledge and attitudes of medical and allied health students regarding Mpox. Three hundred students from various medical and allied health departments at Hamdard University of Karachi participated in the study using convenience sampling. They were given an electronic questionnaire to gather their responses. Results: The findings showed that participants had an average knowledge of (Χ2=1.080, p>0.05). Many participants showed positive attitudes towards disease (Χ2=67.22, p<0.001). Based on gender, the knowledge of male participants was better (Χ2=17.32, p < 0.01), whereas attitude was positive in both genders (Χ2=24.87, p<0.01). MBBS and Pharm D students demonstrated average knowledge (Χ2=81.058, p < 0.01) while DPT students showed positive attitudes toward Mpox. Conclusion: Knowledge regarding emerging pandemics needs to be improved in students of health professions. Thus, a more focused learning attitude is crucial to developing a futuristic professional attitude. Keywords: Healthcare, Knowledge, Monkeypox, Pandemic.