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Page 136 Akanbi et al. One Health Implement Res 2023;3:135-47 https://dx.doi.org/10.20517/ohir.2023.29

rabies exposure and prophylaxis, and practices during rabies exposure and prophylaxis were evaluated using
descriptive and categorical analysis.

Results: The majority of the respondents were female (53.0%; 265 respondents of 500 respondents), 32 years old
(54.6%; 273 of 500), and had primary and secondary education (53.2%; 266 of 500 respondents). The majority
(60.0%; 300 of 500 respondents) allowed their dogs to roam the streets, but only 120 (24.0%) had vaccinated
their dogs up to date. Of the 500 respondents, 145 (29%) had experienced dog bites, but few (4.1%; 6 of 145)
received rabies vaccine, and even fewer (2.8%; 4 of 145) completed the regimen. Proportions of respondents with
knowledge, attitudes, and practices associated with higher rabies risks were 37.8%, 59.4%, and 97.6%,
respectively. Age (P = 0.01), education (P = 0.04), short-term dog ownership (P = 0.01), and occupation (P = 0.01)
were factors associated with their practices in relation to higher rabies risks.

Conclusion: The knowledge, attitudes, and practices of dog owners towards rabies exposure portends a high risk.
Public health interventions to achieve behavioural change, and the enforcement of dog vaccination and leash laws
are highly recommended.

Keywords: Dog owners, rabies awareness, exposure risk, behavioural change, Ogun State, Nigeria

INTRODUCTION
Rabies is a zoonosis caused primarily by the rabies virus. Rabies can also be caused by infection from other
[1,2]
members of the Lyssavirus genus . Rabies affects the central nervous system (CNS) of humans, as well as
warm-blooded domestic and wild mammals. It is well-known that dogs are the most affected animals .
[3]
Rabies is most commonly spread through infected saliva, particularly from bites by affected dogs. The
disease can be prevented and eliminated by vaccinating at least 70% of dogs to break the transmission
cycle . Despite being vaccine-preventable, rabies remains endemic in Africa, where an estimated 21,000 to
[1]
25,000 people die from the disease annually . In Nigeria, a West African country, rabies still poses a
[4]
significant public health threat. Thousands of people die of rabies annually and prevalence rates ranging
[5]
from 3% to 28% have been reported among dogs in different regions of the country . The domestic dog is
the most common transmitter of rabies in Nigeria and many cases of rabies are due to bites by dogs,
[6]
especially free-roaming dogs . The Dogs Law, which was enacted in Nigeria in 1943 and has explicit
provisions on compulsory dog registration, dog confinement, and dog rabies vaccination, is rarely enforced
[7]
and it was only recently revised in a few states . Consequently, the country has yet to attain the World
Organisation of Animal Health’s international standard of prohibiting the straying of dogs . Researchers
[8]
have also reported the knowledge, attitudes, and practices considered to increase rabies exposure risk
among people in some parts of the country .
[9]
Furthermore, dog bites and rabies cases are rarely reported to hospitals and this has led to an increase in the
risk of dog-mediated human rabies . Reporting dog bites and rabies cases ensures the availability of data
[10]
necessary for sample collection, laboratory diagnosis, and planning and implementing rabies elimination
programmes, including prompt post-exposure vaccination of dog bite victims and organisation of rabies
education campaigns. The limited reportage of rabies cases has contributed to limited investment in rabies
elimination interventions in Nigeria, like many other African countries . Data are also essential for
[11]
developing models pivotal to any in-depth understanding of disease dynamics and identifying and
implementing prevention and control measures. Such models were developed to analyse the spread and
[12]
control of rabies and other infectious diseases, such as the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) that has
[13]
had devastating global impacts . Ogun State has been identified as one of the states with the largest
population of dogs in Southwestern Nigeria . That rabies vaccination coverage among the dog population
[14]