Knowledge, attitude and practices towards the tiger mosquito Aedes albopictus. A questionnaire based survey in Lazio region (Italy) before the 2017 Chikungunya outbreak

The invasion of Aedes albopictus has played a major role in the resurgence of mosquito-borne diseases in Italy, generating the two largest chikungunya outbreaks in Europe (2007, 2017). Knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) are important in order to prevent Aedes-borne disease transmission, yet so far they have not been assessed. To this scope we used multivariate logistic regression to investigate KAP of citizen-to-Aedes ecology and transmitted diseases. Data were collated by a structured questionnaire (18 questions) in 2016. Participants were selected in the Lazio region from members of native populations and two resident communities (RC) originating from the Indian subcontinent where Aedes-transmitted diseases are endemic. Results showed that compared to Italians, RC respondents had a higher knowledge and concern of Aedes-transmitted diseases (Odds Ratio = 2.61 (95%CI: 1.03-6.05); OR = 3.13 (2.15-4.65)) as well as their life cycles (OR = 2.49 (1.75-3.56); OR = 9.04 (6.22-13.66)). In contrast, they perceived a lower nuisance due to the presence of Ae. albopictus (OR = 0.2 (0.13-0.32); OR = 0.55 (0.38-0.78). These findings suggest that citizens in the Lazio region are not prepared to face a potential outbreak of arboviruses and further efforts should be made to increase knowledge, awareness and best practices.