Evaluation of the knowledge, attitudes and practices of students at the University of Abomey-Calavi on rabies in Benin Republic, West Africa.

Abstract

INTRODUCTION:

rabies is a vaccine-preventable viral zoonotic disease. Once clinical symptoms appear, rabies is fatal in almost 100% of cases. The objective of this study was to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes and practices of students at the University of Abomey-Calavi in Benin on rabies in order to explore the factors that promote the occurrence of this zoonosis.

METHODS:

for this purpose, a descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted among 263 randomly-selected students. The collected data were analyzed by R software with logistic regression.

RESULTS:

out of all the 263 respondents, 53.2% (n=140) of the students claimed to have heard of canine rabies, compared to 47.5% (n=125) for human rabies. Stray dogs were recognized by 49.0% (n=129) as a prevailing source of rabies infection in people; bites from these dogs were considered as a means of rabies contagion (41.4%; n=109) and vaccination of dogs was considered by 32.7% (n=86) as a means of rabies control in both people and dogs. In case of a dog bite, 60.5% (n=159) of respondents would visit a western medicine human clinic first. For the fate of the biting dog, 18.6% (n=49) and 27.4% (n=72) of respondents, respectively, prefer to euthanize the dog or take the dog to the veterinarian for observation. Regarding the perceived consequences of inaction after a dog bite, 58.2% (n=140) mentioned the risk of rabies. Students in human or animal health were 3 times more aware on rabies.

CONCLUSION:

this study identifies the gaps in students´ knowledge, attitudes and practices about effective rabies prevention and control. It will therefore be necessary to intensify awareness and education campaigns among students who could be a good relay of information to other members in their communities.

• Authors: Philippe Sessou, Nestor Noudeke, Deborah Janine Thomson, David Salako, Souaïbou Farougou
• Journal: The Pan African medical journal (Pan Afr Med J) Vol. 38 Pg. 235 ( 2021) ISSN: 1937-8688 [Electronic] Uganda
• PMID: 34046140 (Publication Type: Journal Article)
• Copyright: Copyright: Philippe Sessou et al.

Chemical References

• Rabies Vaccines

Topics

• Adolescent
• Adult
• Animals
• Benin
• Bites and Stings (complications, virology)
• Cross-Sectional Studies
• Dog Diseases (prevention & control, virology)
• Dogs
• Female
• Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
• Humans
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Rabies (prevention & control, transmission)
• Rabies Vaccines (administration & dosage)
• Students (statistics & numerical data)
• Surveys and Questionnaires
• Universities
• Young Adult
• Zoonoses (prevention & control, virology)