Knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards rabies: A preliminary cross-sectional appraisal in Colombia

Samir Meriño-Olivella, María del Pilar Sánchez-Bonilla, Daniel Camilo Aguirre-Acevedo, Nathalia M. Correa-Valencia, .

Keywords: Health knowledge, attitudes, practice, rabies virus, Colombia

Abstract

Introduction. Rabies virus infection can cause fatal brain disease in mammals. Any species is susceptible to infection. Any effort aimed at recognizing infected animals and performing first actions in the event of transmission is mandatory.
Objective. To determine knowledge, attitudes, and practice profiles regarding rabies, or hydrophobia, in a municipality of Colombia, using a multiple correspondence analysis.
Materials and methods. A descriptive observational study involving 71 pet owners was carried out in the municipality of Ibagué (Tolima). A questionnaire-based survey collected data on rabies knowledge, attitudes, practices, and demographic information. The survey was conducted between October and November 2021, and the data analysis involved descriptive statistics and multiple correspondence analysis.
Results. The study revealed a commendable level of rabies awareness among the urban residents in the study municipality. However, there are causes of concern as they allow stray animals to enter their homes and are not aware of the importance of notifying dead animals. The respondents demonstrated a humane approach to bite management and emphasized the importance of wound cleaning. Additionally, they expressed a strong desire for more information to enhance their knowledge and awareness of the disease.
Conclusion. The findings of this study provide valuable insights for improving rabies prevention efforts and promoting public health. Health education, evidence-based
strategies, and community participation are essential for successful disease control and educational gaps addressing related to sociocultural factors.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.
  • Samir Meriño-Olivella Grupo de Investigación Centauro, Escuela de Medicina Veterinaria, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia; Grupo de Investigadores en Medicina y Producción Tropical Animal - IMPRONTA, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia, Ibagué, Colombia https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3337-8686
  • María del Pilar Sánchez-Bonilla Grupo de Investigadores en Medicina y Producción Tropical Animal - IMPRONTA, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia, Ibagué, Colombia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5297-1605
  • Daniel Camilo Aguirre-Acevedo Grupo Académico de Epidemiología Clínica, Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8195-8821
  • Nathalia M. Correa-Valencia Grupo de Investigación Centauro, Escuela de Medicina Veterinaria, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8836-8827

References

Walker PJ, Blasdell KR, Calisher CH, Dietzgen RG, Kondo H, Kurath G, et al. ICTV Report Consortium. ICTV Virus Taxonomy Profile: Rhabdoviridae. J Gen Virol. 2018;99:447-8. https://doi.org/10.1099/jgv.0.001020

World Health Organization, WHO. Rabies. Accessed: June 29, 2023. Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/rabies

Xu C, Lau CL, Clark J, Rafferty AC, Mills DJ, Ramsey L, et al. Immunogenicity after pre- and post-exposure rabies vaccination: A systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis. Vaccine. 2021;39:1044-50. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2021.01.023

Ruiz-Saldaña M. La vacunación de murciélagos contribuirá a obtener y mantener el estado libre de rabia en las naciones. Invest Cienc Univ Autón Aguascalientes. 2019;27:80-8.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC. ¿Cómo se transmite la rabia? Accessed: June 29, 2023. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/rabies/es/transmision/index.html

World Health Organization. Zero by 30: The global strategic plan to end human deaths from dog-mediated rabies by 2030. 2018. Accessed: June 29, 2023. Available at: https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/272756

Labonté R, Laverach G. Health promotion in action: From local to global empowerment. London, England: Palgrave MacMillan; 2008.

Mascie-Taylor GN, Karim R, Karim E, Akhtar S, Ahmed T, Montanari RM. The costeffectiveness of health education in improving knowledge and awareness about intestinal parasites in rural Bangladesh. Econ Hum Biol. 2003;1:321-30. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ehb.2003.08.002

Ahmed T, Hussain S, Zia U-R, Rinchen S, Yasir A, Ahmed S, et al. Knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) survey of canine rabies in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab Province of Pakistan. BMC Public Health. 2020;20:1293. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-020-09388-9

Booysen F, van der Berg S, Burger R, von Maltitz M, du Rand G. Using an asset index to assess trends in poverty in seven Sub-Saharan African countries. World Dev. 2008;36:1113-30. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2007.10.008

Wabiri N, Taffa N. Socio-economic inequality and HIV in South Africa. BMC Public Health. 2013;13:1037. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-13-1037

DeVellis RF. Scale development: Theory and applications. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage publications; 2016.

Greenacre M. Correspondence analysis in medical research. Stat Methods Med Res. 1992;1:97-117. http://doi.org/10.1177/096228029200100106

Sambo M, Lembo T, Cleaveland S, Ferguson HM, Sikana L, Simon C, et al. Knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) about rabies prevention and control: A community survey in Tanzania. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2014;8:e3310. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0003310

Tiwari HK, O’Dea M, Robertson ID, Vanak AT. Knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) towards rabies and free-roaming dogs (FRD) in Shirsuphal village in Western India: A community-based cross-sectional study. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2019;13:e0007120. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0007120

Dohoo I, Martin W, Stryhn H. Veterinary epidemiologic research. Charlottetown: VER Inc.; 2014.

O’Brien KK, Solomon P, Bergin C, O’Dea S, Stratford P, Iku N, et al. Reliability and validity of a new HIV-specific questionnaire with adults living with HIV in Canada and Ireland: The HIV Disability Questionnaire (HDQ). Health Qual Life Outcomes. 2015;13:124. http://doi.org/10.1186/s12955-015-0310-9

Rounx BL, Rouanet H. Geometric data analysis, from correspondence to structured data analysis. Dordrecht, Holland: Kluwer Academic Publishers. 2004.

Petit J, Loubiere S, Tinland A, Vargas-Moniz M, Spinnewijn F, Manning R, et al. European public perceptions of homelessness: A knowledge, attitudes and practices survey. PLoS ONE. 2019;14:0221896. http://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0221896

Greenacre M. Correspondence analysis in medical research. Stat Methods Med Res. 1992;1:97-117. http://doi.org/10.1177/096228029200100106

Kaufman L, Rousseeuw PJ. Finding groups in data: An introduction to cluster analysis. New York: John Wiley & Sons Inc.; 1990.

Instituto Nacional de Salud, INS. Guía práctica para la atención integral de personas agredidas por un animal potencialmente transmisor de rabia. 2009. Accessed: June 29, 2023. Available at: https://www.minsalud.gov.co/sites/rid/Lists/BibliotecaDigital/RIDE/VS/PP/SA/guia-practica-atencion-agresiones.pdf

Takayama N. Rabies: A preventable but incurable disease. J Infect Chemother. 2008;14:8-14. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10156-007-0573-0

Hemachudha T, Laothamatas J, Rupprecht CE. Human rabies: A disease of complex neuropathogenetic mechanisms and diagnostic challenges. Lancet Neurol. 2002;1:101-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/s1474-4422(02)00041-8

Instituto Nacional de Salud, INS. Agresiones por animales potencialmente transmisores de rabia. Instituto Nacional de Salud. 2022. Accessed: June 29, 2023. Available at: https://doi.org/10.33610/infoeventos.41

Arias-Caicedo MR, Xavier DA, Arias-Caicedo CA, Andrade E, Abel I. Epidemiological scenarios for human rabies exposure notified in Colombia during ten years: A challenge to implement surveillance actions with a differential approach on vulnerable populations. PLoS ONE. 2019;14:e0213120. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0213120

World Organization for Animal Health. Stepping up dog population management to achieve rabies elimination. 2023. Accessed: June 29, 2023. Available at: https://www.woah.org/en/article/stepping-up-dog-population-management-to-achieve-rabies-elimination/

Duarte NFH, Barbosa PPL, Araujo DB, Favoretto SR, Romijn PC, Neres RWP, et al. Knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding sylvatic rabies among high-risk households in Ceará State, Brazil. Trop Med Infect Dis. 2021;6:209. https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed6040209

Rehman S, Rantam FA, Rehman A, Effendi MH, Shehzad A. Knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward rabies in three provinces of Indonesia. Vet World. 2021;14:2518-26. https://doi.org/10.14202/vetworld.2021.2518-2526

Ung B, Kamyingkird K, Phimpraphai W. Knowledge, attitudes, and practices associated with rabies in villages with different dog vaccination statuses in Cambodia. Vet World. 2021;14:2178-86. https://doi.org/10.14202/vetworld.2021.2178-2186

Laorujisawat M, Wattanaburanon A, Abdullakasim P, Maharachpong N. Rabies-related knowledge, attitudes, and practices among primary school students in Chonburi Province, Thailand. Inquiry. 2022;59:469580221087881. https://doi.org/10.1177/00469580221087881

Mapatse M, Sabeta C, Fafetine J, Abernethy D, Rodríguez RA. Knowledge, attitudes, practices (KAP) and control of rabies among community households and health practitioners at the human-wildlife interface in Limpopo National Park, Massingir District, Mozambique. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2022;16:e0010202. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0010202

Dubey S, Singh RV, Gupta B, Gupta DK, Nayak A, Rai A, et al. Study on rabies control and prevention using knowledge, attitude, and practice in Jabalpur, Central India. J Pharm Innov. 2022;11:2353-9. Accessed: June 29, 2023. Available at: https://www.thepharmajournal.com/archives/2022/vol11issue7S/PartAC/S-11-7-118-787.pdf

Kankya C, Dürr S, Hartnack S, Warembourg C, Okello J, Muleme J, et al. Awareness, knowledge, and perceptions regarding rabies prevention among rural communities in Masaka District, Central Uganda: A Qualitative Study. Front Vet Sci. 2022;9:863526. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2022.863526

Irum S, Qayyum A, Javed M, Abdullah. Knowledge and practices of general public in context to canine rabies. Pak J Med Health Sci. 2022;16:02. https://doi.org/10.53350/pjmhs22162358

Cediel N, Villamil LC, Romero J, Renteria L, De Meneghi D. Setting priorities for surveillance, prevention, and control of zoonoses in Bogotá, Colombia. Rev Panam Salud Pública. 2013;33:316-24.

Hernández-Escolar J, Consuegra-Mayor C, Herazo-Beltrán Y. Conocimientos, actitudes y prácticas sobre dengue en un barrio de la ciudad de Cartagena de Indias. Rev Salud Púb. 2014;16:281-92. https://doi.org/10.15446/rsap.v16n2.43464

Mediouni S, Brisson M, Ravel A. Potential human rabies exposure in Nunavik: importance of age and dogs. Res Square. 2019. http://doi.org/10.21203/rs.2.17363/v1

Aenishaenslin C, Simon A, Forde T, Ravel A, Proulx JF, Fehlner-Gardiner C, et al. Characterizing rabies epidemiology in remote Inuit communities in Québec, Canada: a “One Health” approach. Ecohealth. 2014;11:343-55. http://doi.org/10.1007/s10393-014-0923-1

Gitirana JVA, Fonseca RMBP da, Piloneto FM, Bevilaqua LFG, Assis I de, Cardoso RO. Health education for disease prevention: A review of the literature. Núcleo Do Conhecimento. 2023. Accessed: June 29, 2023. Available at: https://zendy.io/title/10.32749/nucleodoconhecimento.com.br/health/education-for-disease

Monje F, Erume J, Mwiine FN, Kazoora H, Okech SG. Knowledge, attitude, and practices about rabies management among human and animal health professionals in Mbale District, Uganda. One Health outlook. 2020;14;2:24. http://doi.org/10.1186/s42522-020-00031-6

Tadele N, Habta F, Akmel D, Deges E. Knowledge, attitude, and practice towards exclusive breastfeeding among lactating mothers in Mizan Aman town, Southwestern Ethiopia: Descriptive cross-sectional study. Int Breastfeed J. 2016;11:3. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13006-016-0062-0

Bihon A, Meresa D, Tesfaw A. Rabies: Knowledge, attitude and practices in and around South Gondar, Northwest Ethiopia. Diseases. 2020;8:5. https://doi.org/10.3390/diseases8010005

Tulchinsky TH. John Snow, cholera, the broad street pump; waterborne diseases then and now. Case Stud Public Health. 2018:77-99. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-804571-8.00017-2

Barroga TRM, Basitan IS, Lobete TM, Bernales RP, Gordoncillo MJN, López EL, et al. Community awareness on rabies prevention and control in Bicol, Philippines: Pre- and postproject implementation. Trop Med Infect Dis. 2018;3:16. http://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed3010016

Tasiame W, El-Duah P, Johnson SAM, Owiredu EW, Bleicker T, Veith T, et al. Rabies virus in slaughtered dogs for meat consumption in Ghana: A potential risk for rabies transmission. Transbound Emerg Dis. 2022;69:e71-e81. http://doi.org/10.1111/tbed.14266

Wang M, Han X, Fang H, Xu C, Lin X, Xia S, et al. Impact of health education on knowledge and behaviors toward infectious diseases among students in Gansu Province, China. Biomed Res Int. 2018;2018:6397340. http://doi.org/10.1155/2018/6397340

Leary S, Pharmaceuticals F, Underwood W, Anthony R, Cartner S, Johnson CL, et al. AVMA Guidelines for the Euthanasia of Animals. Schaumburg: American Veterinary Medical Association; 2020.

Lozano, R. La culpa es de Drácula: planteamiento bioético sobre la discriminación hacia los animales en los procesos de zoonosis en Colombia, una aproximación desde la justicia ecológica de Riechmann. 2020. Accessed: June 29, 2023. Available at: https://repositorio.unbosque.edu.co/bitstream/handle/20.500.12495/6905/Lozano_Rafael_2020.pdf?sequence=1

How to Cite
1.
Meriño-Olivella S, Sánchez-Bonilla M del P, Aguirre-Acevedo DC, Correa-Valencia NM. Knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards rabies: A preliminary cross-sectional appraisal in Colombia. Biomed. [Internet]. 2024 Nov. 6 [cited 2025 Apr. 9];44(4):468-85. Available from: https://revistabiomedicaorg.biteca.online/index.php/biomedica/article/view/7161

Some similar items:

Published
2024-11-06
Section
Original articles

Altmetric

Article metrics
Abstract views
Galley vies
PDF Views
HTML views
Other views
Crossref Cited-by logo
QR Code

Funding data