Knowledge and attitudes of Ebola among the general public of Trinidad and Tobago during the 2014-15 West Africa outbreak

Objective Health system resilience and resilience of a country include the capacity of health personnel, institutions, and populations to prepare for and effectively respond to crises. This study investigates the knowledge and attitudes of the public concerning Ebola Virus Disease in Trinidad and Tobago. Design and Methods A cross sectional study whereby respondents (n = 920) were sampled from public places. Data were collected via interviewer administered questionnaires. Data were analysed using SPSS version 23. Results The response rate was 67.6 % (622/920). The main age category of responders was the 20 to 30 year age category (40.5%); responders were mostly female (58.0 %). Regarding knowledge, there were significant differences among occupational categories (F = 2.811, df1 = 6, df2 = 571, p-value = 0.011). Tukey’s HSD post hoc test revealed that the mean knowledge scores for professional and sales occupations differed significantly (p-value = 0.003). There was a significant association between being afraid to go for treatment and age (p-value = 0.001). Significant associations were also found between occupational grouping and education attainment with opinion about the preparedness of private medical facilities, likelihood to shun family members with Ebola, being afraid to go for treatment and preference for traditional medicine (p-value <0.05). Conclusion This study highlights opportunities for community engagement to enhance health system resilience during outbreaks which would maximise national and global health security.