Rabies epidemiology and community knowledge, attitudes and practices in Burkina Faso

Abstract

Rabies is an endemic zoonosis in developing countries and is one of the most virulent and deadly viral diseases. It is a threat to public and animal health in Burkina Faso. This cross-sectional study describes the epidemiology of rabies and the knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) of the populations in Ouagadougou. Data were collected from households and technical services involved in the prevention, control and surveillance of human and animal rabies. The KAP survey was conducted among 616 households. It showed that the majority of participants had heard of human (80.7%) and animal (94.6%) rabies, were aware that the disease is mainly transmitted by infected dog bites (94.2%), and were able to quote at least two routes of rabies transmission (65.7%). In contrast, only 9.7% of dog owners claimed to be able to afford annual canine rabies vaccination. The main channels of information and communication about rabies used by the participants were friends and family (41.8%), school (33.4%), and media (24.8%). As for the retrospective epidemiological study, which was based on the documents available within national services, it showed that an average of 4172 cases of bites were recorded each year, that only 31.7% of those bitten had received complete post-exposure prophylaxis, and that 68% of the animal tested were positive for rabies virus. These studies confirm the presence of a rabies risk in the country, and show the need for increased education and community involvement, and close collaboration between the animal and human health sectors for integrated bite-case management.