Knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward rabies in three provinces of Indonesia

Abstract

Background and Aim: Rabies is an important viral zoonotic disease that is mostly transmitted through the bite of a rabid dog. Despite serious efforts regarding its control, rabies is still endemic in many provinces of Indonesia. The study aims to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) related to rabies in urban and rural areas in three provinces of Indonesia. Materials and Methods: A total of 432 respondents of different age groups, educational levels, geographical areas, and occupations participated in this study. Data were collected using a pre-designed questionnaire with online and offline modes to assess the KAP of rabies among the respondents. A series of Chi-square tests and frequency distribution analyses were performed to determine associations between response variables. Results: Of the 432 participants, 56.9% were aware of the clinical signs of rabies. Excepting for people at high risk of contracting the disease (e.g., veterinarians), most respondents (83.1%) were not vaccinated against rabies. Surprisingly, 79.4 % of those who were bitten by an infected dog did not seek medical care from the doctor and approximately 71.8% had poor knowledge of rabies control and vaccine campaigns. Of all respondents, 64% (p<0.05, odds ratio=1.63) were vaccinated after an infected dog bite. Similarly, 32% (p<0.05, odds ratio=1.59) were aware of surveys and vaccinations in their areas. In contrast, 20.7% (p<0.05, odds ratio=0.593) reported that rabid dogs were killed in their areas. The majority (89.60%) of the respondents were aware of the fact that rabies can cause death. Most of the respondents (93%) knew that rabies is caused by an infected dog bite. The overall levels of KAP among the respondents were good. Conclusion: The findings of the current study generally show that participants had good knowledge about clinical signs based on their frequency percentage, but lacked knowledge regarding medical treatment and surveys for awareness and vaccination of rabies. Overall, a significant (p<0.05, odds ratio>1) relationship was found among the KAP of participants. This depicts that the majority of the population is aware of rabies and factors involved in its transmission.