Assessment of risk factors responsible for canine rabies in Oyo State, Nigeria

Rabies is an acute viral zoonotic disease of the central nervous system. The disease is recognized in all warm-blooded animals where it is known to cause fatal and irreversible encephalomyelitis leading to death. In this study, we carried out a cross sectional questionnaire-based survey to identify the possible risk factors responsible for transmission and sustenance of canine rabies in Oyo State and to what degree the factors are responsible for transmission of canine rabies. A total of 95 questionnaires were administered directly to dog owners across the state. The Microsoft Excel 2016 and The IBM SPSS 21 were used to determine the descriptive analyses of responses from the respondents and the relative risk (RR) of canine rabies occurrence in households across the state when exposed to each of the identified risk factor. Results revealed that the type of management system adopted for rearing and keeping the dogs is a major factor capable of predisposing dogs to rabies disease. In conclusion, the risk factor identified could be referred to as possible impediment to eradicating rabies in Oyo State. Concerted efforts by the relevant stakeholders including the government and the general-public are therefore germane to elimination of canine rabies in the State. Possible solutions to curtail further spread of the disease in the state were discussed. Keywords: Canine rabies, Nigeria, Oyo state, Risk factors, Vaccinatio