Appraisal of the Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of the Populations on Cholera in Benin

Cholera is a disease that Benin has been fighting against for years but which continues to create economic losses for households. The aim of this study is to assess the level of knowledge of the population about this disease and to assess hygiene practices in order to identify the factors responsible for its sustainability. The data were collected through a survey of 720 households in the 12 departments of the country. These data were analyzed with SAS software and three groups of people were identified on the basis of hygiene measures. The majority of respondents know cholera. The main symptoms they mentioned were vomiting (84.83%) and diarrhea (81.04%). Diarrhea was more reported in group 3 (88.96%) than in groups 1 (86.58%) and 2 (83.19%). Low levels of hygiene were the main cause of this disease. In the absence of toilets, the interviewees pass stool in the bush and at the edge of water sources used in households. Some of them have bins (in particular group 1) for household waste but do not subscribe to refuse collection structures. Therefore, they throw garbage in sometimes unofficial landfills. Others, on the other hand, have not garbage cans (mainly group 2) and they empty garbage everywhere (street, gutters and bushes). In addition, hand washing is hardly ever done after using the toilet. Hygiene practices in some households are insufficient, which does not protect the population from cholera.