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

S Pooransingh; S Mohammed; K Melville; C Mohammed; M Mohammed; R Mohammed; W Mootoo; M Morris; D Motilal; B Bhagwandeen; I Dialsingh

We therefore all need to be prepared at all times which means rehearsals and drills in the form of table top exercises and multisectoral simulation exercises. Community support and involvement are key. Sensitisation, communication and training are essential. Unfortunately lessons learned from previous outbreaks are not being used to modify existing services and practices and for each new public health event it seems we are starting from square one. An understanding of the community perceptions about a public health threat is what is needed to be able to develop and target information about the disease and its control (21). This study attempted to achieve this, to aid the Government in its capacity building efforts to increase the country's resilience during a major public health event.