Dog anti-rabies vaccination coverage in Ebonyi State, Nigeria

Rabies is amongst the most fatal diseases of public health importance in the tropics. Rabies outbreaks can be prevented in a population if most of the dogs are immune and this immunity can be achieved by vaccinating the dog population annually especially in endemic areas. The objective of this study was to investigate the response of dog owners to anti-rabies vaccination and to check how selected variables were associated with the turnout of dogs during the two consecutive years of mass vaccination. One thousand three hundred dogs were vaccinated in 2022 while one thousand seven hundred and eighty-seven dogs got vaccinated in 2023. The percentage of female dogs presented for vaccination in 2022 and 2023 was 66.8 % and 66.5% higher than the males. The mongrels were 94.1% and 98.2% more than the other breeds presented for vaccination in both 2022 and 2023. The association between the breed of dogs and the year of vaccination was statistically significant (p=0.000). It was concluded that more effective awareness and sensitization programs on the effects of rabies are needed to help educate the rural communities.