Household survey on owned dog population and rabies knowledge in selected municipalities in Bulacan, Philippines: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background Despite the effort to eradicate rabies in the Philippines, human rabies cases have not decreased in the past decade. Rabid dogs pose the most significant hazard in the countries with the highest burden of rabies, and 70% rabies vaccine coverage is recommended for dogs in high-risk areas. Ascertaining the owned dog population and community knowledge on rabies can help improve vaccine coverage and information campaigns. Methodology/Principal findings We conducted a cross-sectional survey in six randomly selected communities (five urban, one rural) in Central Luzon, Philippines. We first conducted the complete mapping of 9,173 households and then randomly selected 727 households. More than half (54.1%) of the households owned dogs (1.21 dogs/household). In the 727 households, we identified 878 owned dogs and 3256 humans. According to these results, the dog-to-human ratio was approximately 1:3.7. Only 8.8% of households reported a history of dog bite in 2019. Among dog-owning households, 31% reported that they allow their dogs to roam freely. Of the recorded dogs, 35.9% have never been vaccinated, and only 3.5% were spayed or castrated. Factors associated with lower rabies knowledge include (1) no education aOR: 0.30 (0.16–0.59), and (2) only primary school education aOR: 0.33 (0.22–0.49). In contrast, factors associated with higher knowledge include (1) owning a dog and not allowing them to roam freely aOR: 2.01 (1.41–2.87) and (2) owning a dog and allowing them to roam freely aOR: 1.84 (1.17–2.92), when compared to those with no dogs. Conclusions/Significance We identified a larger dog population in the community than the usual estimates (1:10), suggesting that annual vaccine needs in the Philippines must be reassessed. Our survey shows a relatively good understanding of rabies; however, awareness of the concept of rabies as a disease, and how animals and humans can acquire it, is lacking.

Dog demography, rabies awareness and dog bite cases in Bishoftu town, Ethiopia

“…A comparable result was reported from the Philippines, 1.8 dogs/household, while variable results were reported from Ethiopia 1.1 dogs/household (Gebremedhin et al, 2020), Philippines 1.21 dogs/household (Dizon et al, 2022) and Nigeria 1.1 dogs/household (Kwaghe et al, 2019). The observed differences between studies and countries may be due to socio-cultural ties between dogs and humans in different societies.…”

International perceptions of animals and the importance of their welfare

“…This is perhaps unsurprising, given that the Philippines was dubbed 'the dog capital of East Asia' by (Bradley and King, 2012), and is reported to be the sixth most dog populous country in the world (Nag, 2017). This remains the case despite the persistent threat of human rabies transmitted via dog bite (Dizon et al, 2022), again signalling a strong bond between Filipinos and dogs.…”

Factors Affecting the Spread, Diagnosis, and Control of African Swine Fever in the Philippines

“…However, in regions with higher wild pig populations like Ilocos (Region I), Cagayan Valley (Region II), and Cordillera Administrative Region, an increased likelihood of wild boar contact may exist [ 24 ]. Due to the lack of effective control measures for freely roaming cats and dogs [ 25 , 26 ], stray cats and dogs could act as potential mechanical vector animals for ASFV in the Philippines. The accessibility of backyard farms and the shift towards open fencing make it easy for stray animals to enter farms, access swine feeds and carcasses, and move between different farms within the cities.…”