Investigation on public knowledge, attitude and practices related to pet management and zoonotic canine diseases in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Abstract

Many infectious diseases are transmitted from animals to human and the other way. Despite this there is limited information about public knowledge on pet husbandry and diseases control practices in Addis Ababa. The objectives of this study are to assess the knowledge, attitude and practices towards pet husbandry, contact-related attitude and zoonotic diseases among dog-owning households in Addis Ababa. A cross-sectional questionnaire based study was conducted to assessthe public’s perception. A total of 252 dog-owning households from four sub-citiesof Addis Ababa were interviewed using structured questionnaire. Of the total 252respondents, majority of them (70.2%) did not take their dog to veterinary serviceon regular basis (at least once a year). Over half of the respondents (59.1%) fed rawmeat to their dogs and 79.3% of the owners obtained the meat from local unlicensedmarkets. The majority of the respondents (87%) in the current study believed therisk of acquiring zoonotic diseases from dogs. However, most of them (95.4%) knewonly rabies and only 4.6% of them knew parasitic diseases in addition to rabies.Only 61.9% of the respondents reported having ever received information aboutpet-associated diseases or precautions to reduce the risk of these diseases. Out ofthose who received information, 48% of them obtained from their friends and/orrelatives. Only 9% and 9.6% of them received information from veterinarians andhealth workers, respectively. The result suggests a need for awareness creation onproper pet management and zoonotic diseases prevention practices for pet-owninghouseholds, with concerted efforts by veterinary, human and public health professionals.Keywords: Attitude, Canine zoonosis, Knowledge, Practices