Version 1
: Received: 16 August 2024 / Approved: 17 August 2024 / Online: 20 August 2024 (05:03:48 CEST)
How to cite:
Azalu, W. W.; Mekonnen, S. A.; Worku, A. K.; Kassa, A. M.; Abebe, W. M.; Jemberu, W. T. Retrospective Study of Human Rabies Exposure and Associated Risk Factors in North-West Ethiopia. Preprints2024, 2024081273. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202408.1273.v1
Azalu, W. W.; Mekonnen, S. A.; Worku, A. K.; Kassa, A. M.; Abebe, W. M.; Jemberu, W. T. Retrospective Study of Human Rabies Exposure and Associated Risk Factors in North-West Ethiopia. Preprints 2024, 2024081273. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202408.1273.v1
Azalu, W. W.; Mekonnen, S. A.; Worku, A. K.; Kassa, A. M.; Abebe, W. M.; Jemberu, W. T. Retrospective Study of Human Rabies Exposure and Associated Risk Factors in North-West Ethiopia. Preprints2024, 2024081273. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202408.1273.v1
APA Style
Azalu, W. W., Mekonnen, S. A., Worku, A. K., Kassa, A. M., Abebe, W. M., & Jemberu, W. T. (2024). Retrospective Study of Human Rabies Exposure and Associated Risk Factors in North-West Ethiopia. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202408.1273.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Azalu, W. W., Wassie Molla Abebe and Wudu Temesgen Jemberu. 2024 "Retrospective Study of Human Rabies Exposure and Associated Risk Factors in North-West Ethiopia" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202408.1273.v1
Abstract
Background: Rabies, a zoonotic disease caused by the lyssavirus genus, is widely distributed and a significant cause of human death in Africa and Asia. This study aimed to investigate human rabies exposure and associated risk factors in Northwest Ethiopia. Methods: The study encompassed four zones, seven districts, and four kebeles from each district. The research team developed a questionnaire for data collection. Results: A total of 642 households were interviewed. The current study rabies exposure was revealed 10.47%. Over 98% of respondents displayed a strong understanding of rabies, with 99.69% correctly identifying rabies as a zoonotic disease. However, 80% of the interviewees were trusted traditional medicine could treat rabies. Only 21.93% of victims were took post exposure prophylaxis. Dogs were the primary affected animals (87.73%), of this 48.70% was bites by own dogs. Metema district had higher risk (p < 0.001) compared to others six districts. Dog ownership (p<0.05) and a higher number of households (p<0.01) were also identified as risk factors for rabies exposure. Conclusion: Residence, low education levels, high household density, free-roaming dogs, and dog ownership as key risk factors for rabies exposure. Public health awareness campaigns are crucial to emphasise the risks associated with animal bites.
Keywords
Dog-bite; Epidemiology; Ethiopia; exposure; human rabies; Risk factor
Subject
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.
