Version 1
: Received: 26 February 2024 / Approved: 27 February 2024 / Online: 27 February 2024 (12:21:24 CET)
Version 2
: Received: 16 April 2024 / Approved: 16 April 2024 / Online: 17 April 2024 (07:27:32 CEST)
How to cite:
Misapa, M.C.; Muleya, W.; Bwalya, E.C.; Moonga, L.; Zimba, J.; Kabwali, E.S.; Silombe, M.; Mulwanda, E.C.; Mulenga, C. Rabies Realities: Navigating Barriers to Rabies Control in Rural Zambia—A Case Study of Manyinga and Mwansabombwe Districts. Preprints2024, 2024021532. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202402.1532.v1
Misapa, M.C.; Muleya, W.; Bwalya, E.C.; Moonga, L.; Zimba, J.; Kabwali, E.S.; Silombe, M.; Mulwanda, E.C.; Mulenga, C. Rabies Realities: Navigating Barriers to Rabies Control in Rural Zambia—A Case Study of Manyinga and Mwansabombwe Districts. Preprints 2024, 2024021532. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202402.1532.v1
Misapa, M.C.; Muleya, W.; Bwalya, E.C.; Moonga, L.; Zimba, J.; Kabwali, E.S.; Silombe, M.; Mulwanda, E.C.; Mulenga, C. Rabies Realities: Navigating Barriers to Rabies Control in Rural Zambia—A Case Study of Manyinga and Mwansabombwe Districts. Preprints2024, 2024021532. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202402.1532.v1
APA Style
Misapa, M.C., Muleya, W., Bwalya, E.C., Moonga, L., Zimba, J., Kabwali, E.S., Silombe, M., Mulwanda, E.C., & Mulenga, C. (2024). Rabies Realities: Navigating Barriers to Rabies Control in Rural Zambia—A Case Study of Manyinga and Mwansabombwe Districts. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202402.1532.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Misapa, M.C., Edgar Chilanzi Mulwanda and Christopher Mulenga. 2024 "Rabies Realities: Navigating Barriers to Rabies Control in Rural Zambia—A Case Study of Manyinga and Mwansabombwe Districts" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202402.1532.v1
Abstract
Rabies persists as a longstanding issue in Zambia, despite being preventable. The current control measures, including dog vaccination, population control, and movement restriction, guided by ‘The Control of Dogs Act Chapter 247 of the Laws of Zambia’, have not yielded the desired impact in many areas of the country including Manyinga and Mwansabombwe districts. These two districts continue to report low dog vaccination rates, unrestricted dog movements, and escalating cases of animal and human rabies, along with dog bites. Aligned with global aspirations to achieve zero human rabies cases by 2030, this study scrutinizes the determinants and obstacles hampering the execution of rabies control initiatives in Manyinga and Mwansabombwe. Spanning approximately 11 months, this cross-sectional study gathered pre- and post-vaccination data from 301 households in Manyinga and 100 households in Mwansabombwe. Questionnaires probed knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to rabies prevention and control. A transect survey, key informant interviews, and assessment of rabies vaccination and dog bite records complemented the data collection. Findings revealed that 88% of respondents from both districts possessed knowledge about rabies, confirming affected species and transmission. Moreover, 76.8% in Manyinga and 88.6% in Mwansabombwe were acquainted with rabies prevention and control methods. Concerning dog owners, 89% were aware of rabies, 66% understood its prevention and control, and the majority identified bites as the primary mode of transmission. Vaccination coverage stood at 64% in Manyinga and 21% in Mwansabombwe. Notably, education and occupation exhibited a positive significant association with rabies knowledge. In terms of dog bite cases, Manyinga recorded 538 dog bite cases from 2017 to June 2022 while Mwansabombwe recorded 81 dog bite and 23 jackal bite cases from 2021 to June 2022. The study underscores critical knowledge gaps in rural areas and emphasizes the imperative for enhanced public education and awareness programs, improved rabies surveillance, free mass vaccination campaigns, and community engagement to augment vaccination coverage and knowledge about rabies.
Public Health and Healthcare, Public Health and Health Services
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
