Awareness of Neglected Tropical Diseases among Egyptian Medical House Officers

Background: Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are among the world's most prevalent communicable diseases, particularly in low-income countries. The objective of the current study was to assess medical house officers’ awareness towards NTDs risk factors, prevalence, recognition of different NTDs and to explore their awareness towards challenges targeting NTDs elimination.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 398 medical house officers working in Kafr-Elsheikh University Hospital, Egypt.

Results: The average age was 23.01±1.63 years. Approximately 62.8% of the study participants were male and 60.3% lived in urban areas. The mean self-perceived knowledge score on NTDs terminology was 2.14±1.14 9, which is equivalent to 42.8%±22.8%. Social media was the primary source of NTD information (32.2%), while 26.1% had no prior exposure. Knowledge scores were highest in Obstetrics & Gynecology (45.6%±22.4%), though differences across specialties were not significant (p=0.917). Environmental health threats were cited as key NTD risk factors (40.9%), followed by zoonotic emergence (29.6%) and climate change (27.1%). NTD prevalence was perceived as moderate by 34.7%, with 34.2% referring suspected cases to specialists. Leishmaniasis (27.8%) and Chagas disease (27.3%) were the most recognized NTDs, and 36.4% believed in the possibility of elimination. Barriers included lack of public awareness (39.6%), limited healthcare access (35.6%), and inadequate funding (32.4%).

Conclusions: This study highlights an obvious gap in awareness regarding NTDs across all specialties of healthcare workers. The current finding emphasizes the importance of health education, training, and awareness campaigns targeting current and future health care workers.