Abstract
Rabies is a highly fatal disease that is endemic in Nigeria. The poor community awareness and knowledge of canine rabies have thwarted the realization of zero deaths from dog mediated human rabies. This study aimed to assess the awareness and knowledge of canine rabies in Kwara state. A total of 1,460 questionnaires were administered to respondents in the three senatorial zones of the state using open data kit (ODK) on mobile phones between September 2019 to January 2020. The rabies awareness rate was 38.1%. The mean knowledge score was 3.78 ± 2.15. Only 10.6% (n = 59/557) of the respondents had satisfactory knowledge of canine rabies. Respondents had poor knowledge of the mode of transmission, symptoms, prevention, and the control measures needed to eliminate canine rabies. Only 20.1% of respondents owned at least a dog. Dog owners were 3.85× (95% CI: 2.89, 5.13; p < 0.01) more likely to be aware of canine rabies and were 1.78× (95% CI: 1.22–2.60; p = 0.003) more likely to have satisfactory knowledge about canine rabies than non-dog owners. Respondents with tertiary education were at least 6.81× (95% CI: 4.24, 10.92; p < 0.01) more likely to be aware of rabies than respondents with no formal education. The findings of this study showed very low awareness and knowledge of canine rabies among residents of Kwara state. Mass sensitization of the populace on the dangers of rabies should be intensified. Such interventions should be targeted at the general public and dog owners.
Highlights
Rabies is a viral disease of mammals that is endemic in Africa and Asia [1]
85.4% (n = 476/557) knew that human rabies is mostly caused by dog bites
Respondents showed low awareness and knowledge regarding canine rabies, the most obvious knowledge gaps were in the symptoms, preventive and control measures needed to eliminate canine rabies
Summary
Rabies is a viral disease of mammals that is endemic in Africa and Asia [1]. It is a neglected tropical disease that is under-funded, under-diagnosed, and under-reported in Nigeria [2, 3]. Awareness and knowledge of canine rabies some 1,640 estimated human rabies cases each year [5, 7]. To reduce the incidence of dogbites and prevent dog-mediated human rabies, it is essential to assess the awareness level and further educate the general public. This has proved effective in changing the risk perception of the populace and resulted in attitudinal changes that were necessary to reduce the burden of rabies [8, 9]
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