Insights and efforts to control rabies in Zambia: Evaluation of determinants and barriers to dog vaccination in Nyimba district

• Published in: PLoS neglected tropical diseases 2017-10, Vol.11 (10), p.e0005946
• Main Authors: Mulipukwa, Carolyn Patricia, Mudenda, Boyd, Mbewe, Allan Rabson
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Access control; Agricultural economics; Analysis; Animal bites; Animal vaccination; Animals; Barriers; Biology and Life Sciences; Bites; Bites and Stings - prevention & control; Canidae; Canis lupus dingo; Control; Countries; Developing countries; Disease control; Dog Diseases - epidemiology; Dog Diseases - prevention & control; Dogs; Earth Sciences; Economic aspects; Evaluation; Health aspects; Health risks; Households; Humans; Immunization; Injury analysis; LDCs; Medical records; Medicine and Health Sciences; Peasant farming; People and Places; Population Control; Prevention; Rabies; Rabies - epidemiology; Rabies - prevention & control; Rabies - veterinary; Rabies Vaccines - administration & dosage; Rabies Vaccines - immunology; Rural areas; Surveying; Tropical diseases; Urban areas; Vaccination; Vaccines; Wounds; Zambia - epidemiology
• ISSN: 1935-2735; 1935-2727; 1935-2735
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0005946

The current rabies control strategy in Zambia is based on dog vaccination, dog population control and dog movement restrictions. In Nyimba district of Zambia, dog vaccination coverage is low but the incidence of dog bites is high which places the community at risk of rabies infection. The renewed global interest eliminating rabies in developing countries has spurred interest to identify determinants and barriers of dog vaccination in an effort to reduce the overall disease burden. A mixed methods cross sectional design was used in the study. This consisted of three parts: Evaluation of medical records regarding dog bite injuries, implementation and analysis of a household survey and in-depth review of key informant interviews. Data was collected into a Microsoft Excel database and subsequently transferred to STATA for descriptive, inferential and thematic analysis. Dog vaccination coverage overall was 8.7% (57/655), with 3.4% (22/655) in urban areas, 1.8% (12/655) in peri-urban and 3.5 (23/655) in the rural regions. Financially stable households were more likely to have their dogs vaccinated. Only 10.3% (31/300) of the respondents had vaccinated their dogs and these had a reliable source of income as 6% (18/300) were peasant farmers, 2% (6/300) were dependants whose guardians were financially stable and 2.3% (7/300) were in steady employment. Important barriers to dog vaccination included cost, limited awareness of vaccination program and access. Current rabies control strategies in Nyimba district, Zambia, appear quite limited. Improvements in the regional dog vaccination program may provide benefits. Enhancement of educational efforts targeting behavioural factors may also prove useful. Finally, the cost of dog vaccination can be reduced with scaled up production of a local vaccine.