Knowledge, attitudes and practices of internet users' on covid-19 in phase1 epidemic in Cameroon: An online survey

Introduction: The COVID-19 epidemic began in in China in December 2019 and has spread around the world. The symptoms and routes of transmission are still poorly understood by the scientific community and the rest of the world. The Phase 1 of the COVID-19 epidemic in Cameroon was during the period from March-June 2020. Several rumors and ideas have emerged within the population regarding the different aspects of the pandemic. Materials and methods: An online survey of Cameroonian (volunteer) Internet users conducted from 23 March to 30 April 2020 described the knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) on COVID-19 using the Microsoft-Form Platform and highlights the use of online surveys in times of crisis for population assessment. Results: One hundred and thirty-seven participants (46.7% female; 53.2% male) aged 12-50 responded to the online survey. Almost 98.54% of respondents correctly reported all the symptoms observed in a suspected case of COVID-19. A minority thought that the infection cannot be cured (11.6%); 30.6% agreed that it was an invention to decimate the African black race, and 87.5% thought that it is a curse of the gods. Only 2.9% knew at least one infected person in their community, 54.0% thought their environment was a risk factor. Only 30.6% of people cited five correct and combined methods for prevention; 31.3% confirmed that they had observed at least six government-issued barrier measures. The major sources of information on COVID-19 were the internet (81.7%); television (73.7%) and social media (70.80%). Conclusion: The majority of Internet users were aware of the symptoms of COVID-19, some had unscientific beliefs about its origin. We observed a small proportion of prevention practices to COVID 19 among Internet users. A mass awareness campaign in all regions of the country on the need for barrier measures against COVID-19, to combat its stigma and encourage case reporting to limit the spread of the epidemic is essential.