Assessing factors associated with owner's individual decision to vaccinate their dogs against rabies: A house-to-house survey in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

Abstract

Background and Aim: In rabies endemic area, dog vaccination is an effective way of controlling the disease in animals and humans if a minimum of 70% vaccination coverage is reached. This study aimed to identify dog demographics and household characteristics associated with dogs' vaccination against rabies in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Materials and Methods: A questionnaire was used to collect data from respondents with regard to their dogs' demographics and their household characteristics. Chi-square test and Fisher's exact test were performed to assess the association between explicative variables and the dogs' vaccination status. Results: Overall, as per the findings of this study, it was determined that out of 424 dogs, 57.8% were reportedly vaccinated. The vaccination status was significantly associated with most of the household variables (e.g., gender of the respondent, age, level of education, main means of transportation, participation in a vaccination campaign, knowledge on rabies, and knowledge on dog vaccination) and the dogs' variables (breed of dog, dog origin, purpose for keeping, confinement status, and perceived behavior) (p<0.05). Moreover, only religion, type of housing, knowledge of rabies transmission modes, and dog sex were not significantly associated with vaccination status (p>0.05). Conclusion: Our study generated informative data showing that animal health workers could develop effective rabies vaccination strategy planning by examining owned dog demographics and their husbandry practices in households.

Epidemiological Associations between Rabies Vaccination and Dog Owner Characteristics

“…Similarly, owners who had a family veterinary clinic, visited a veterinary clinic at least once every 6 months, and who had ever been advised to vaccinate their dog against rabies were more likely to vaccinate their dog against rabies. The identified factors were broadly consistent with findings about dog owner characteristics in other country settings [ 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 17 , 18 , 19 ]. While the total number of dogs is not available and thus it has been difficult to estimate the annual rabies vaccination coverage in dogs, we successfully obtained a sample estimate of the annual vaccination coverage against rabies in dogs and identified differences in the characteristics of dogs related to vaccination by the number of rabies vaccinations.…”

“…The characteristics of dog owners that are associated with rabies vaccination in dogs have been previously investigated, mainly in African countries. Regarding owner demographics, the following characteristics have been reported as positively associated with dog rabies vaccination: higher education level [ 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 ], older age [ 12 , 13 ], higher socioeconomic level [ 12 , 14 ], fewer people living in a household [ 10 , 15 ], having an occupation [ 9 , 10 , 12 , 13 ], being part of a religious group (Muslim) [ 9 ], living in an urban area [ 9 , 10 ], and having a private residence [ 11 ]. Other factors include knowledge about rabies [ 9 , 11 , 12 , 14 , 16 ], knowledge about the location of veterinary offices/clinics [ 11 ], the breed of dog (exotic/hybrid vs. local) [ 11 , 12 , 14 ], where the dog was obtained (purchased vs. given) [ 10 , 12 , 14 ], confinement status of the dog home (i.e., confined vs. free-roaming) [ 12 , 14 ], perception of the rabies vaccination cost [ 12 ], and providing veterinary care to owned dogs [ 10 ].…”

Assessing Impacting Factors of Dog Owners’ Adoption of Dog Vaccination Against Rabies: A Cross-sectional Survey in Rural Areas — Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China, 2021

“…In this study, among the dog owners who failed to vaccinate their dogs, 44.6% thought vaccinating dogs too troublesome and 31.5% did not know where to vaccinate dogs. Similarly, some previous studies also suggested other factors such as a limited number of vaccinating sites and veterinarians, long distance to the sites and veterinary clinic, and feeling difficulty confining the dogs for vaccination would prevent many dog owners from accessing rabies vaccinations ( 6 - 7 ). Therefore, supporting conditions for relevant policies, such as veterinary systems and a free policy, are also important factors affecting dog vaccination against rabies.…”

The Knowledge and Attitudes of the Community in Sibangkaja Village, Badung, Regarding the Rabies Incident

“…Bite wounds are not allowed to be sutured except for situational sutures. When stitches are necessary, Anti-Rabies Serum (SAR) is given according to the dose, infiltrating around the wound, and the rest is injected intra-muscularly (16). Furthermore, administering anti-tetanus serum/vaccine, antibiotics to prevent infection, and analgesics should also be considered.…”