Knowledge and Practices Regarding Rabies Prevention among Dog Owners in Sokoto, Nigeria
Journal Title: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SCIENTIFIC STUDY - Year 2018, Vol 6, Issue 4
Abstract
Introduction: Despite the fact that rabies elimination is feasible through vaccination of dogs and prevention of dog bites, it still causes tens of thousands of deaths every year, mainly in Asia and Africa. Rabies is endemic in Nigeria and is attributable to increasing human activities involving dogs, poor knowledge of the disease, and low level of vaccination of dogs. Objectives: This study aimed to assess the knowledge and practices regarding rabies prevention among dog owners in Sokoto, Nigeria Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 190 dog owners selected by multistage sampling technique. Data were collected with a set of pretested interviewer-administered questionnaire; and analyzed using IBM SPSS version 20 software. Results: The mean age of the respondents was 34.0 ± 9.9 years; majority of them were males (84.7%) and reside in urban areas (65.8%). Most of the respondents (86.8%) were aware of rabies with family/friend being the main source of information (82.4%). Less than half of respondents (43.7%) had good knowledge of cause and transmission of rabies, and only a few had good knowledge of its symptoms and signs (16.3%), and its prevention (21.1%). Majority of respondents (53.7%) allow their family members to play with dogs, <½ (48.4%) restrict dog movement, and only a few (16.3%) wear personal protective equipment while handling dogs. About a quarter of respondents (28.4%) had vaccinated their dogs in the past 12 months, and about a third (35.8%) reported rabid or suspect rabid dogs. Close to a quarter of respondents (23.7%) reported dog bites in their households, and most of the victims (77.1%) were bitten by their own dogs. Conclusion: Government and other stakeholders should organize periodic awareness campaigns through the mass media to educate dog owners on rabies prevention, as well as annual free or subsidized mass dog vaccination campaigns.
Authors and Affiliations
Abdulsalam AL, Oche MO, Awosan K J, Alayande M O, Yunusa E U, Ango U M
Keywords
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