Assessment of the current rabies situation and its management in epidemic areas of southern Ethiopia

Abstract

Rabies infection is almost always a 100% lethal viral disease in all mammals, including humans. Although more than 60,000 people worldwide are preventable, 2,700 people in Ethiopia die of fatal human rabies annually. The aim of this study was to generate strategic information on the extent of the burden of rabies and major response strategies in place, only to overcome and bring attention to the management of rabies outbreaks. The cross - sectional case - based study design was used to discuss the disease areas of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples ' Regional States of Ethiopia. Data analysis revealed a total of 16 fatal human rabies and 287 suspected rabies exposures. The highest attack rate of 116.3 cases per 100,000 human subjects was reported in Tembaro woreda. As a result, 48 animal deaths of rabies have been reported, while cattle (28) have been more affected than other animal species. The lack of dog immunization, lack of community awareness of dog management, and inaccessibility and inefficiency of anti - rabies vaccines were major risk factors associated with the spread of rabies exposure between humans and animals. In conclusion, this study has clearly shown that both the existence and the high magnitude of fatal human and animal rabies are significant in the area. Multidisciplinary approach interventions to increase community awareness of dog vaccination, effective and immediate treatment of exposed individuals is recommended as a method of disease control and prevention

Rabies Virus Infection in Livestock

“…Cattle come second to dogs [24]. Out of 48 animal deaths of rabies, cattle (28) were more affected than other animal species [25]. The same picture was reported in Nigeria [29].…”

“…In Ethiopia, of 48 animal deaths of rabies, 12 were goats which were the second more affected animal species [25]. In Sudan, a review on rabies showed that goats were the most rabies-affected species after dogs, as clear from previous reports [17,18,61,62].…”

Assessment of Knowledge, Attitude and Practices About Rabies Prevention and Associated Factors in Wolaita Sodo City, Southern Ethiopia

“…It is disease that affects all warm-blooded animals, is prevalent in many regions of the world. Source of Rabies are dogs, cats, fox, bats and other carnivore in the world in different continents (4)(5)(6). Globally, rabies causes more than 61,000 human deaths and around 15 million dog bite victims receive post exposure prophylaxis every year.…”