Households’ Practices towards Rabies Prevention and Control in Rural Nepal

Abstract

Rabies is a vaccine-preventable, zoonotic, viral disease and a major public health concern for developing countries such as Nepal. A study was conducted from October–December 2021 among 308 household heads from three districts in Nepal (Siraha, Parsa, and Nawalparasi West) through an in-person interview to examine the rural people’s practices towards rabies. Of 70 respondents owning pet animals, 82.9% vaccinated them against rabies but 87.9% (51/58) of them kept a vaccination record. Nearly all respondents (99.7%, 307/308) said they would visit hospitals after being bitten by rabid or rabies suspected animals, and 18.2% (56/308) of them said they would also opt to visit traditional healers seeking treatment against rabies. Seven in ten respondents knew that they should wash bitten body area with soap and water. Around 60% (184/308) of respondents said they would not bother to notify or report to the local authorities if they saw someone bitten by a presumed rabid dog or observed animal behavior suggestive of rabies. The Chi-square test showed a significant association between the socio-demographic characteristics of respondents with practices (good practice and poor practice) towards rabies. The study findings suggest that rural people in Nepal need to be educated with applied rabies control and prevention practices and made aware of health seeking behavior and the role that a community members have to play to control, prevent, and eradicate rabies.

How knowledgeable are people in Nepal about rabies?

“…Anecdotal evidence suggests that a lack of public awareness about the disease is one of major bottlenecks for rabies prevention and control in Nepal, particularly canine rabies. Some studies [ [28] , [29] , [30] ] have been conducted in Nepal for assessment of knowledge towards rabies in Nepal. Knowing people's perceptions of sources of rabies, routes of transmission, symptoms, fate once clinical symptoms are observed, treatment, and prospective intervention measures is critical in developing rabies-control strategies and deciding the future activities.…”

Assessment of Community Knowledge and Practices towards Rabies Prevention: A Cross-Sectional Survey in Bharatpur, Chitwan, Nepal

“…Similarly, there were 32 fatalities in 2017/18, 8 in 2016/17, 6 in 2015/16, 13 in 2014/15, and 10 in 2013/14. As per the quarterly bulletin of veterinary epidemiology covering the period from 2014 to 2017, eight districts in Nepal (Kanchanpur, Dailekh, Jajarkot, Chitwan, Dhading, Ramechhap, Siraha, and Morang) experienced more than 10 rabies outbreaks [11]. Nepal is part of the "United Against Rabies Collaboration", which was formed by the World Health Organization, Food and Agriculture Organization, World Organization for Animal Health, and Global Alliance for Rabies Control in 2015, with the goal of eliminating dog-mediated rabies by 2030 through the "Zero by 30" initiative [3] and the Nepalese government is also planning to develop a roadmap for the elimination of dog-mediated rabies by 2030.…”

“…In the animal health sector, the Department of Livestock Services (DLS) educates pet owners and operates a Rabies Vaccine Production Laboratory (RVPL) using cell culture technology [3]. Pet vaccination is conducted in government veterinary hospitals and private clinics, with occasional free vaccinations during municipal campaigns for rabies control and prevention [3,11].…”

“…In May 2019, a newspaper article reported 12 animals in Chitwan, Nepal, had died from rabies within eight months. The wards affected by the rabies virus in cows, buffaloes, and goats were wards 6,7,8,11,12,14,18,25, and 27 out of the 29 wards in Bharatpur Metropolitan City [14]. Studies showed a knowledge gap and inadequate prevention practices in countries with high rabies prevalence [11,[15][16][17][18].…”

“…The wards affected by the rabies virus in cows, buffaloes, and goats were wards 6,7,8,11,12,14,18,25, and 27 out of the 29 wards in Bharatpur Metropolitan City [14]. Studies showed a knowledge gap and inadequate prevention practices in countries with high rabies prevalence [11,[15][16][17][18]. Understanding community practices and treatment-seeking behavior is crucial for effectively controlling human rabies.…”