{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,23]],"date-time":"2026-08-23T14:52:07Z","timestamp":1787496727654,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":43,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"8","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,1]],"date-time":"2025-08-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1754006400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Africa Centre of Excellence for Infectious Diseases of Humans and Animals","award":["grant number P151847"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["grant number P151847"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosntds.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS Negl Trop Dis"],"abstract":"\n Background<\/jats:title>\n \n Infection of the brain with the larval stage of\n Taenia solium<\/jats:italic>\n leads to neurocysticercosis (NCC), a leading cause of epilepsy with a considerable global burden. Neurocysticercosis-induced epilepsy is among the poverty-related diseases and is prevalent, particularly in regions where\n T. solium<\/jats:italic>\n is endemic. In Tanzania, NCC-associated epilepsy is endemic, it causes substantial health burdens and economic losses. Studies on knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) regarding NCC in the country are limited.\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Methodology<\/jats:title>\n A cross-sectional healthcare professional-based study was conducted in northern Tanzania between May and July 2023. A structured questionnaire was administered to healthcare workers (HCWs) using a random stratified sampling to assess their knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward prevention and control of NCC-induced epilepsy. One-way ANOVA was used to compare mean scores of KAP, Chi-square test to assess the association between independent factors and KAP scores, and logistic regression model to determine the predictors of KAP scores.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Results<\/jats:title>\n A total of 250 HCWs were interviewed. The study revealed that HCWs had inadequate overall knowledge (scores\u2009=\u200955.5%), negative attitudes (score\u2009=\u200954.0%) and poor practices (scores\u2009=\u200949.3%). Only 22.4% had adequate knowledge, 10.8% had positive attitudes, and 12.8% had good practices towards control of NCC-induced epilepsy. Educational levels of respondents (OR: 3.361, 95% CI: 1.147\u20139.848, p\u2009<\u20090.01) were significant predictors of positive attitudes. Laboratory technologists were five (OR:5.821, 95% CI: 2.033-16.664, p\u2009<\u20090.01) times more likely to be knowledgeable, followed by assistant physicians (OR:3.141, 95% CI:1.484-6.650, p\u2009<\u20090.01) compared to other health professionals interviewed. Knowledgeable respondents were more likely to have positive attitudes (OR: 6.087, 95% CI:2.534-14.622, p\u2009<\u20090.01), and better practices (OR: 4.750, 95% CI: 2.099-10.748, p\u2009<\u20090.01) towards control of NCC-induced epilepsy.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n \n This study found that HCWs had limited knowledge, poor practices, and negative attitudes toward the control of NCC-induced epilepsy. There is an urgent need to promote better knowledge of acquired epilepsy among HCWs, including re-training using the One Health approach in\n T. solium<\/jats:italic>\n endemic areas.\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pntd.0013275","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,1]],"date-time":"2025-08-01T17:23:02Z","timestamp":1754068982000},"page":"e0013275","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pntd.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards prevention and control of neurocysticercosis-related epilepsy in Northern Tanzania: A cross-sectional healthcare professional-based study"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"19","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0001-1236-6718","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Masanja Laurent","family":"Lugelongi","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Andrew Martin","family":"Kilale","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kabemba Evans","family":"Mwape","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,1]]},"reference":[{"key":"pntd.0013275.ref001","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ensci.2021.100352","article-title":"Lifetime prevalence of epilepsy in urban Tanzania \u2013 A door-to-door random cluster survey","volume":"24","author":"D Stelzle","year":"2021","journal-title":"eNeurologicalSci"},{"key":"pntd.0013275.ref002","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1016\/j.yebeh.2019.106846","article-title":"Prevalence of active epilepsy, lifetime epilepsy prevalence, and burden of epilepsy in Sub-Saharan Africa from meta-analysis of door-to-door population-based surveys","volume":"103","author":"LF Owolabi","year":"2020","journal-title":"Epilepsy Behav"},{"issue":"2","key":"pntd.0013275.ref003","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"487","DOI":"10.1002\/epi4.12720","article-title":"Knowledge and misconceptions about epilepsy among people with epilepsy and their caregivers attending mental health clinics: A qualitative study in Taenia solium endemic pig-keeping communities in Tanzania","volume":"8","author":"CE Makasi","year":"2023","journal-title":"Epilepsia Open"},{"key":"pntd.0013275.ref004","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"30","DOI":"10.1016\/j.brainresbull.2018.08.011","article-title":"Neurocysticercosis and epilepsy in sub-Saharan Africa","volume":"145","author":"A Millogo","year":"2019","journal-title":"Brain Res Bull"},{"issue":"9","key":"pntd.0013275.ref005","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"931","DOI":"10.3855\/jidc.13450","article-title":"Cysticercosis in Madagascar","volume":"14","author":"J-F Carod","year":"2020","journal-title":"J Infect Dev Ctries"},{"issue":"12","key":"pntd.0013275.ref006","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pntd.0007751","article-title":"Taenia solium cysticercosis and taeniasis in urban settings: Epidemiological evidence from a health-center based study among people with epilepsy in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania","volume":"13","author":"V Schmidt","year":"2019","journal-title":"PLoS Negl Trop Dis"},{"key":"pntd.0013275.ref007","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1016\/j.tmaid.2020.101683","article-title":"Imported cysticercosis in Spain: A retrospective case series from the +REDIVI Collaborative Network.","volume":"37","author":"Z Herrador","year":"2020","journal-title":"Travel Med Infect Dis"},{"key":"pntd.0013275.ref008","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jns.2021.117527","article-title":"Neurocysticercosis. 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