Epidemiological Studies Of Canine Rabies
Need help with a related project topic or New topic? Send Us Your Topic
DOWNLOAD THE COMPLETE PROJECT MATERIAL
Epidemiological Studies Of Canine Rabies
ABSTRACT
Canine rabies is endemic and occurs year-round in Nigeria. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted to analyse dog owners’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices about rabies, to detect the presence of rabies antigens in brain tissue of dogs slaughtered for human consumption, and to measure rabies vaccination coverage of dogs in Wukari.
Structured questionnaires were produced and distributed to 200 dog owners via face-to-face interviews. The questionnaire sought information on the demographic features of dog owners, their relationship with dogs, and their knowledge, attitude, and practice about rabies.
χ2 analysis was used to analyse the relationship between demographic variables and knowledge, attitude, and practice scores. Also, 188 brain samples from slain dogs were tested for the presence of rabies antigen using a direct fluorescent antibody test.
The record files and vaccination certificates of dogs brought to the State Veterinary Hospital Wukari were checked for anti-rabies vaccination coverage.
Only 26 (13%) of the 200 dog owners were aware that the rabies virus can be discovered in nerve tissue, while 121 (60.5%) were aware that rabies can be communicated through the saliva of a rabid animal.
However, the bulk of respondents, 172 (86%), were unaware of the age for the first vaccination of dogs against rabies. Civil servants who had dogs were 4.8 times more likely to have good knowledge (OR=4.84, 95% CI on OR 1.09-21.44) than people in other occupations.
Positive attitudes regarding rabies grew as dog owners’ ages climbed, with those aged 20-30 years more likely to have a negative attitude than those over 40. Civil servants had a 9.8 times higher rate of good practice than other occupation categories.
Rabies antigen was found in 7.98% of slaughtered canines. Between January 2003 and December 2012, only 1,128 (13.50%) of the 8,370 dogs seen at the State Veterinary Hospital Wukari received anti-rabies vaccine.
This study’s findings revealed a lack of information, a negative attitude, and rabies-related practices among dog owners. The presence of rabies antigen in some dogs slaughtered for human consumption, along with inadequate vaccination coverage in dogs, indicates a high risk of rabies exposure for dog owners and dog meat processors. As a result, dog owners require instructional programs to raise their understanding and lower their risk of rabies exposure.
1.1 Background Information.
Rabies is a viral zoonotic disease of all warm-blooded animals that causes acute encephalitis and is spread worldwide. It is caused by a neutrophilic, bullet-shaped, enveloped RNA virus from the Lyssavirus genus and the Rhabdoviridae family.
The disease spreads to all mammals (WHO 2006). Rabies evolved around 3000 BC and is one of the most well-known zoonotic diseases (Takayama, 2005). The disease is widespread in underdeveloped nations, including Nigeria and other parts of Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia (Harry et al., 1984; WHO, 2005). It is distinguished by acute progressive encephalitis, hydrophobia, excitation, and hypersalivation.
Rabies affects more than 150 nations and territories, killing approximately 55,000 people per year, the majority of whom live in Africa, Asia, and South America (Beard, 2001; WHO, 2010). Children under the age of 15 make up 40% of those bitten by suspected rabid animals, and dogs account for 99% of all human rabies deaths (WHO, 2010).
Every year, about 15 million people worldwide receive a post-exposure preventative regimen to avoid the disease, which is projected to prevent 327 000 rabies deaths (WHO, 2010).
Rabies was originally recorded in humans in Nigeria in 1912 (Boulger and Hardy, 1960), but the first scientific evidence came in 1925, when Negri bodies were discovered in a mad dog’s brain smear (Ekele and Okoh, 1984). Several writers have labelled the disease prevalent in Nigeria (Umoh and Belino, 1979; Fagbami et al., 1981).
The rabies virus causes acute encephalitis in all warm-blooded species, including humans, and the prognosis is almost invariably fatal, with a varying incubation period. Although many mammals are susceptible to the rabies virus, only a handful act as reservoirs for the disease (Garba et al. 2009).
In Nigeria, domestic dogs are the primary reservoir hosts and transmitters of the rabies virus to animals and people (Dzikwi et al., 2010; WHO, 2010).
Need help with a related project topic or New topic? Send Us Your Topic