Objective: To evaluate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) on chikungunya disease among healthcare workers in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from September to December 2025 at two hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City using convenience sampling. Data were collected through face-to- face interviews using a structured questionnaire covering socio-demographic factors and KAP on chikungunya prevention based on the Health Belief Model (HBM). Knowledge scores were classified as “good knowledge” (≥9/13) or “poor knowledge” (<9/13). Logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with preventive practices.
Results: A total of 481 of 531 healthcare workers enrolled in the study were included in the final analysis. The rates of good knowledge, positive attitudes, and sufficient practices were 70.89%, 62.37%, and 71.93%, respectively. The primary sources of information on the disease were books, newspapers, or social media. While general knowledge was high, gaps were noted in clinical recognition and diagnostic awareness. Multivariate analysis revealed that sufficient practices were significantly associated with having previously heard of the disease (aOR 0.31; 95% CI 0.14-0.70, P=0.005) and positive attitudes (aOR 4.21; 95% CI 2.65-6.68, P<0.001).
Conclusions: Despite moderate overall KAP levels, important gaps remain, particularly in clinical knowledge and risk perception of chikungunya.
Conflict of interest statement
The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.
Funding
The authors received no extramural funding for the study.
Authors’ contributions
YLV, HTNN, and HG conceived and designed the study, performed the analysis, and drafted the manuscript. NMV contributed to data collection and data curation, and assisted in data analysis and interpretation. LTV, NMV, and AOG provided critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content. HG supervised the project and coordinated the study. All authors reviewed and approved the final version of the manuscript.
Publisher’s note
The Publisher of the Journal remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Edited by Zhang Q, Lei Y, Pan Y
Acknowledgements
We express our sincere gratitude to the healthcare staff at the two public medical centers in Ho Chi Minh City and the hospital directors for their invaluable support throughout our research process.
| [1] |
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About chikungunya. 2024. [Online]. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/chikungunya/about/index.html. [Accessed on 18 August 2025].
|
| [2] |
World Health Organization. Global chikungunya epidemiology update. 2025. [Online]. Available from: https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/documents/epp/ezh/chikungunya-epidemiology-update_11june2025.pdf. [Accessed on 6 July 2026].
|
| [3] |
Laoprasopwattana K, Kaewjungwad L, Jarumanokul R, Geater A. Differential diagnosis of Chikungunya, dengue viral infection and other acute febrile illnesses in children. Pediatr Infect Dis J 2012; 31(5): 459-463.
|
| [4] |
Quyen NTH, Kien DTH, Rabaa M, Tuan NM, Vi TT, Tan LV, et al. Chikungunya and Zika virus cases detected against a backdrop of endemic dengue transmission in Vietnam. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2017; 97(1): 146-150.
|
| [5] |
Huynh G, Nguyen HTN, Vo LT, Evans E, Vuong NM, An PL. From COVID-19 to Nipah virus preparedness in low- and middle-income countries: Re-centering points of decision and responsible AI. Asian Pac J Trop Med 2026; 19(4): 145-147.
|
| [6] |
Nguyen TV, Tun MMN, Cao MT, Dao HM, Luong CQ, Huynh TKL, et al. Serological and molecular epidemiology of chikungunya virus infection in Vietnam, 2017-2019. Viruses 2023; 15(10): 2065. doi: 10.3390/v15102065.
|
| [7] |
Vo TL, Evans E, Vuong MN, Huynh G. Nipah virus outbreak: Public health threats and response priorities. One Health Bull 2026. doi: 10.4103/ohbl.ohbl_6_26.
|
| [8] |
Liang WJ, Zhao DT, Zhang RG, Lu JH. Chikungunya fever outbreak: Addressing globle public health challenge through One Health approaches. One Health Bull 2026; 6(1): 1-5. doi: 10.4103/ohbl.ohbl_63_25.
|
| [9] |
Weber WC, Streblow DN, Coffey LL. Chikungunya virus vaccines: A review of IXCHIQ and PXVX0317 from pre-clinical evaluation to licensure. BioDrugs 2024; 38(6): 727-742.
|
| [10] |
U . S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). VIMKUNYA 2025. [Online]. Available from: https://www.fda.gov/vaccines-blood-biologics/vimkunya. [Accessed on 10 February 2026].
|
| [11] |
World Health Organization. Chikungunya. 2025. [Online]. Available from: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/chikungunya. [Accessed on 10 February 2026].
|
| [12] |
Ministry of Health (Vietnam). Strengthening the prevention and control of Chikungunya outbreaks. Document No. 975/PB-BTN (08 August 2025) 2025. [Online]. Available from: https://thuvienphapluat.vn/cong-van/The-thao-Y-te/Cong-van-975-PB-BTN-2025-tang-cuong-phong-chong-dich-benh-Chikungunya-668741.aspx. [Accessed on 10 February 2026].
|
| [13] |
Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control. Chikungunya-What you need to know. 2025. [Online]. Available from: https://hcdc.vn/benh-chikungunya--nhung-dieu-can-biet-KjOgUQ.html. [Accessed on 10 February 2026].
|
| [14] |
Cleland J. A critique of KAP studies and some suggestions for their improvement. Stud Fam Plann 1973; 4(2): 42-47.
|
| [15] |
Zarei F, Dehghani A, Ratansiri A, Ghaffari M, Raina SK, Halimi A, et al. ChecKAP: A checklist for reporting a knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) study. Asian Pac J Cancer Prev 2024; 25(7): 2573-2577.
|
| [16] |
Glanz K, Rimer BK, Viswanath K. Health behavior: Theory, research, and practice.6th ed. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass; 2024, p. 44-55.
|
| [17] |
Saringe S, Kajeguka DC, Kagirwa DD, Mgabo MR, Emidi B. Healthcare workers knowledge and diagnostic practices: A need for dengue and chikungunya training in Moshi Municipality, Kilimanjaro Tanzania. BMC Res Notes 2019; 12(1): 43.
|
| [18] |
Kajeguka DC, Desrochers RE, Mwangi R, Mgabo MR, Alifrangis M, Kavishe RA, et al. Knowledge and practice regarding dengue and chikungunya: A cross-sectional study among healthcare workers and community in Northern Tanzania. Trop Med Int Health 2017; 22(5): 583-593.
|
| [19] |
Selamat UA, Hairi NN, Suli Z. Awareness and knowledge of chikungunya virus infection among healthcare workers in Hulu Langat District, Selangor, Malaysia. Asia Pac J Public Health 2024; 36(5): 504-510.
|
| [20] |
Luo J, Liu X, Chen K, Wei W. Knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding chikungunya fever among healthcare workers: A cross-sectional study in Sichuan Province, China. Front Public Health 2026; 13: 1729173. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1729173.
|
| [21] |
Peduzzi P, Concato J, Kemper E, Holford TR, Feinstein AR. A simulation study of the number of events per variable in logistic regression analysis. J Clin Epidemiol 1996; 49(12): 1373-1379.
|
| [22] |
Kittayapong P, Ninphanomchai S, Jalichandra N, Sringernyuang L, Sherer P, Meemon N. Knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP), and acceptance and willingness to pay (WTP) for mosquito-borne diseases control through sterile mosquito release in Bangkok, Thailand. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2025; 19(7): e0011935. doi: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0011935.
|
| [23] |
Bloom B. Learning for mastery. Instruction and curriculum. Eval Comment 1968; 1(2): 1-12.
|
| [24] |
Zerfu B, Kassa T, Mamo G, Legesse M. Knowledge, attitude, and practices of the community about Chikungunya in selected Districts of Afar Region, Northeast Ethiopia; its implications for controlling the disease: A community-based quantitative and qualitative cross-sectional study. BMC Public Health 2024; 24(1): 3441. doi: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-20987-8.
|
| [25] |
Bloom BS. Taxonomy of educational objectives: The classification of educational goals. Handbook 1: Cognitive domain. New York, NY: Longmans, Green and Co.; 1956.
|
| [26] |
World Health Organization. Global patient safety action plan 2021—2030: Towards eliminating avoidable harm in health care. 2021. [Online]. Available from: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240032705. [Accessed on 10 February 2026].
|
| [27] |
Joint Commission International, Institute for Healthcare Improvement. Perspectives on zero harm. 2024. [Online]. Available from: https://assets.ctfassets.net/zlnfaxb2lcqx/4iRA2uZPwSrnHzbmKhzC1p/f7368ad593b0ebd1b9f38d4920b7d098/Perspectives_on_Zero_Harm_compressed.pdf. [Accessed on 10 February 2026].
|
| [28] |
Tan M, Zhu W, Chen X, Li G, Hon KLE, Leung AKC. Clinical and ultrasonographic correlates of viral load in pediatric chikungunya: A retrospective analysis. Asian Pac J Trop Med 2026; 19(3): 141-142.
|
| [29] |
Noor FM, Hossain MB, Islam QT. Prevalence of and risk factors for long-term disabilities following chikungunya virus disease: A meta-analysis. Travel Med Infect Dis 2020; 35: 101618. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmaid.2020.101618.
|
| [30] |
Nejati J, Okati-Aliabad H, Mohammadi M, Akbari M, Moghaddam AA. Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of healthcare professionals regarding dengue fever in high-risk regions of southeastern Iran. BMC Med Educ 2024; 24(1): 915. doi: 10.1186/s12909-024-06246-9.
|
| [31] |
Nguyen HV, Than PQT, Nguyen TH, Vu GT, Hoang CL, Tran TT, et al. Knowledge, attitude and practice about dengue fever among patients experiencing the 2017 outbreak in Vietnam. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2019; 16(6): 976. doi: 10.3390/ijerph16060976.
|
| [32] |
Abolfathpour P, Dahouri A, Hosseinzadeh M, Soheili S. Knowledge and attitudes toward dengue fever among nurses and healthcare workers in Tabriz, Iran: A cross-sectional study. Int J Africa Nurs Sci 2026; 25: 101031. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijans.2026.101031.
|