The rapid spread of monkeypox (mpox) has been declared as a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC). The present study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude, and worry levels of the general population in the Kurdistan region of Iraq regarding the ongoing mpox multi-country outbreak. An online cross-sectional survey was conducted between 27–30 July 2022, using a convenience sampling method. The questionnaire was adapted from previous studies addressing the same topic. The independent Student’s t-test, one-way ANOVA, and logistic regression were used to assess possible factors associated with knowledge, attitude, and worry toward mpox. A total of 510 respondents were included in the final analysis. The participants showed a moderate level of mpox knowledge, a neutral attitude towards mpox, and a relatively moderate worry level. The logistic regression analysis showed that age, gender, marital status, religion, level of education, and place of residence were associated with mpox knowledge; however, the significant variables in the multivariate regression analysis were gender, religion, level of education, and residential area. Gender and residential area were associated with attitudes toward mpox; however, the significant variables in the multivariate regression analysis were gender and residential areas. The worry toward mpox was influenced by gender, marital status, religion, and place of residence, yet the significant variables in the multivariate regression analysis were gender, religion, educational level, and residential area. In conclusion, the Kurdish population had moderate knowledge, a neutral attitude, and a moderate level of worry about mpox. Considering the continuous rapid rise in mpox cases in several countries, and its possible risk as pandemic amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, proactive control measures, adequate disease prevention strategies, and preparedness plans need to be formulated and immediately implemented to tackle the appearance of fears among people, and to safeguard the mental health of the public.

Although human monkeypox infections had not been recorded in the Kurdistan region of Iraq as of August 2023, the rapid growth of cases worldwide and the detection of monkeypox in neighboring Middle Eastern nations call for careful planning and timely response measures. Educating and empowering frontline healthcare workers (HCWs) so that they can act to curb the spread of monkeypox infections are core elements of primary prevention and protecting public health. Therefore, this study aimed to assess HCWs’ knowledge and attitudes about monkeypox and their willingness to vaccinate against monkeypox. By employing a convenience sampling method, an online survey was disseminated via Google Forms between 1 November 2022 and 15 January 2023. The researchers utilized regression analyses to ascertain the factors associated with the three parameters: knowledge, attitude, and the willingness to vaccinate. A total of 637 HCWs were included in the analysis (ages ranged between 21 and 51 years). The mean overall scores were 8.18 of a max score of 16 (SD 3.37), 3.4 of 5 (SD 1.37), and 2.41 of 5 (SD 1.25) for knowledge, attitude, and willingness to vaccinate, respectively. A multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that HCWs who had heard about monkeypox before 2022 rather than later had a higher level of knowledge (AOR: 4.85; 95% CI: 2.81–8.36; p < 0.001). In addition, those who had newly joined the workforce or had less than 1 year experience in practice had more positive attitudes about curbing monkeypox (AOR: 0.35; 95% CI: 0.20–0.59; p < 0.01) than those who practiced for longer. No significant predictors of willingness to vaccinate against monkeypox were identified. The research revealed that HCWs exhibited a relatively low level of monkeypox knowledge. They also had poor attitudes towards monkeypox vaccination and were therefore reluctant to receive the vaccines. Imparting knowledge about the infectious disease can cultivate better awareness and attitudes among HCWs as to their roles in mitigating the spread of an epidemic in the foreseeable future.