Factors influencing canine rabies vaccination among dog-owning households in Nigeria

Mshelbwala, Philip P.; Rupprecht, Charles E.; Osinubi, Modupe O.; Njoga, Emmanuel O.; Orum, Terese G.; Weese, J. Scott; Clark, Nicholas J.

doi:10.1016/j.onehlt.2024.100751

Cited by 1 publication

(3 citation statements)

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“…Similar approaches have been used in diverse fields to target latent knowledge or ability questions [ 53 , 54 ]. Our results suggested that latent understanding (dog owners’ overall knowledge of the disease) was positively associated with dog vaccination and tertiary-level education, consistent with a recent report from Nigeria [ 36 ].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…Furthermore, our result indicated that HHs in areas with a veterinary establishment were more likely to vaccinate their dogs against rabies than those without one. Similar finding was reported in Nigeria [ 36 ]. In addition to increasing awareness about rabies and the importance of vaccination, veterinary service facilities play an important role in the delivery of vaccination.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…The HHs with more dogs and those allowing their dogs to roam were less likely to vaccinate against rabies, a trend also observed recently in Nigeria [ 36 ]. Various factors, such as security, herding, and breeding, contribute to the inclination to own multiple dogs in Africa [ 17 , 45 , 50 ].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 61%

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Insights into canine rabies vaccination Disparities in Sierra Leone: A cross-sectional household study

Mshelbwala,

Wangdi,

Bunting-Graden

et al. 2024

PLoS Negl Trop Dis

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Annually, Sierra Leone records an estimated 301 human fatalities due to rabies. Canine vaccination is crucial for rabies prevention and control efforts. However, considerable variability exists in vaccination rates. Reasons for this variation remain unclear. We conducted a cross-sectional study across 2,558 dog-owning households (HHs) to provide insights into factors influencing canine vaccination for targeted prevention and control towards elimination by 2030. First, we described dog ownership practices, then built a probabilistic model to understand factors associated with dog vaccination, and finally used a spatial scan statistic to identify spatial clusters where vaccination rates were low. Our results indicated that only 14% (358/2,558) of participating HHs had fully vaccinated their dogs against rabies. The probability of dog vaccination increased when comparing civil servants to private workers/artisans, with an Odds Ratio(OR) of 1.14 (95% credible interval (Crl) of 0.82–1.56), residing in locations with a veterinary establishment vs. none (OR = 6.43, 95% Crl (4.97–8.35), providing care to dogs vs. allowing dogs to roam freely (OR = 2.38, 95% Crl(1.80–3.17) and owning a single dog vs multiple dogs (OR = 1.20, 95 Crl (0.92–1.56). Conversely, there was a decrease in the estimated probability of vaccination when comparing dog owners located in rural vs. urban areas (OR = 0.58, CrI 95% (0.43–0.78). Latent understanding, a measure of overall understanding of rabies virus, which we estimated using participant education levels and responses to questions about rabies epidemiology, was also an important predictor of vaccination probability (OR = 1.44, 95% Crl (1.04, 2.07). The spatial analysis identified high-risk clusters for low vaccination in the cities of Mayamba, with a radius of 40 km, a relative risk (RR) of 1.10, and Bo, with a radius of 19.9 km with RR of 1.11. These data do not support Sierra Leone reaching the 2030 goal of human rabies elimination caused by dogs. Our study highlights a critical need for public outreach and education, improved vaccination rates, increased accessibility to veterinary services, and targeted interventions in Bo and Mayamba to support rabies prevention and control efforts.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%